If She Stayed
by Chance'sfinalride
Summary: This is the alternate timeline for my story FBC, where JT never goes back to Georgia and stays in Charming, dealing with all the happenings along with the club. The story tapers off around chapter 7 of FBC. So relationships, trauma, drama, and confrontations will be different (Some of them may not even happen like in FBC) Ratings are going to be the same though.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the alternate timeline to FBC with our favorite Teller. I'm starting it off where the changes occur, which is about halfway through this chapter (Chapter 7 of FBC). I'll update as I complete the chapters. Please let me know what you guys think!**

* * *

As expected Destiny had gotten a call from the school, telling her about the fight between J.T. and the other boys, and she was mad, to say the least. Later on that evening, Jax brought J.T. back to the house and Destiny entered the living room with her arms crossed over her chest as she walked in

"I got some pretty interesting phone calls today. You want to tell me what happened?" she said calmly

"I can explain" J.T. replied, "They were picking on this kid and it was three against one and no one was helping, but like his brother and I just kind of-"

"Snapped?" Destiny finished

J.T. nodded

"I know. I talked to the boys' mother and the school" Destiny sighed

"You did?"

"Yes and I talked to your brother"

J.T.'s face paled "Which brother?"

"Ray" Destiny answered and J.T. swallowed a gulp, "He told me what happened, that you haven't been sleeping again"

"It's nothing"

"Clearly it isn't if you're awake all night and losing your temper"

"I know I'm losing it ok? I can handle it"

Destiny walked over to J.T. and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I know you can handle it. But you need to remember that you don't have to handle it alone anymore."

J.T. let out a deep exhale, glaring in Destiny's direction

"We aren't your dad. We're not going to persecute you for having feelings or needing to talk" she finished

J.T.'s glare turned into a full scowl, a low growl escaping her throat.

"My old man didn't 'persecute' me for anything" J.T. spat "He taught me that I got priorities and talking about my feelings ain't one of 'em. And you know what else he taught me? He taught me how to take care of myself, so I don't need no one for nothing"

Destiny stared in shock and opened her mouth to say something, but Lena had just come home and called out to J.T.

"Jude Teller what is this I hear you got into a fist fight at school today?"

"She was defending another student, I already talked to the principal" Destiny explained

"Really? How surprising" Lena said

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked J.T.

"I'm not surprised you got into trouble, I expected it with your track record, but I didn't expect you to do it while helping someone"

"Lena!" Destiny exclaimed

"What? It's true, she's trouble and brings nothing but trouble" Lena said definitively

"Now isn't the time to be saying things like this" Destiny tried to diffuse

But J.T. had heard enough. She stood up and slipped upstairs to her shared bedroom with Arabella.

* * *

A few hours later the yelling downstairs had only gotten louder and the girls were getting fed up. Jayme had retreated into Jude's room and Nick and Ray took their backpacks and left to Nick's dad's house for the weekend, just to get away from the yelling. J.T. was getting agitated because her moms had fought a few times before but for some reason, it was worse that night and it seemed like it was mostly arguing about her.

" _-you're the one that wanted to take her in! I swear I don't get this pathological need of yours to try and fix people, but this kid is beyond repair. She's gonna end up bad just like her parents"_ she hears Lena yell

Arabella turns over to J.T. with teary eyes "You know they fought before, but it only got worse when you showed up" then she left the room to join Jayme and Jude. J.T. squeezed her eyes shut and slammed her head into the wall behind her, letting out a deep, ragged breath.

Finally having enough, she grabbed her backpack, phone, and keys, climbed out of her window and down the gutter. She landed on the soft grass of her yard and walked to her car, getting in and starting the engine. She pulled out of the driveway and cruised the streets of Charming late into the night.

Much later, not wanting to go back to the house she decided to head toward. She arrived at the hospital and headed up toward the NICU where Abel was. She got up to that unit and headed down the hall to Abel's room, but when she looked in the window to the room she saw a tall man, with short, grey hair standing over the incubator. She didn't recognize him, so she charged in the door causing him to turn around

"Who're you?" she asked

"I was curious" he answered looking back at the baby

"That doesn't answer my question," J.T. said harshly, reaching for the knife in her belt "This is for family and medical staff only"

"No need to get violent. What are you?" he asked putting his hands up

"The doctor. Now get the hell out" she demanded

He glanced from her to Abel then smirked "Related to Jax I see. You must be the littlest Teller"

"That's where you're wrong" she replied

He opened his mouth to speak again, but the door opened and Tara walked in

"What are you doing here?" she said, fear evident in her voice

"I was just leaving" the man replied pushing past her

Tara watched him leave, then went back to J.T. "Remember you're only here because Jax and Gemma said you can be"

"Who was that?" J.T. asked

"None of your business" Tara snapped before leaving

J.T. glared at Tara's retreating back, then went to Abel's incubator and looked inside.

"You ok little man?" she asked, Abel just kicked his foot in response "Don't worry kid. I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."

She settled into the chair next to him and watched him as he slowly fell asleep. She watched Abel for several hours, Tara coming in to check on him again and giving J.T. a sneer, pulling out her cell phone and dialing Jax's number as soon as she left the room.

* * *

Jax was half asleep when his phone started ringing. He rolled over on his bed and picked it up without paying attention to the caller i.d.

"Hello?" he answered groggily

" _Jax?"_ the woman's voice replied

"Who is this?" he asked

" _It's Destiny. Look I'm sorry it's so late but I didn't know who else to call"_ she explained

Jax assumed she was crying because of the way her voice shook when she spoke

"Everything ok?"

" _J.T. is gone"_

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

" _We can't find her anywhere. Her car's gone. Did she go there at all?"_

"Hang on, let me see if anyone saw her"

Jax got up and left his dorm, heading toward the bar where a few of the guys sat talking and drinking

"Hey you guys seen J.T. come by here?" he asked

"No" they chorused

"Not since this afternoon," said Piney

"I'm pretty sure she drove by a while ago but I don't know," Half-Sac told him

Jax sighed and put the phone back to his ear "They didn't see her but they think she drove by. I'm gonna go and look for her. Stay home in case she calls or comes back and call me if you hear anything"

" _Ok, thank you, Jax. Lena is out asking around, I'll call you if I hear anything" said Destiny_

Jax thanked her and hung up, then dialed his mom

" _What is it?"_ she asked immediately

"J.T. took off. Her moms have no idea where she is" he explained

" _Jesus Christ. I knew those two couldn't take care of her, that's why I told you to move her in with you in the first place"_

"Mom! Relax! Destiny and Lena have been doing fine, the kid had a rough day and probably needed to blow off some steam. I'm gonna go look for her, I just need you to pay attention in case she comes to your place"

" _Fine. But call me as soon as you find her. Then you and I are going to talk Jackson"_ she said hanging up. Jax put his phone away and left the clubhouse to search for J.T.

He drove for a few hours, passing by the school and park, but didn't see any sign of her. Beginning to really worry he headed back to the clubhouse and told Juice to track J.T.'s phone.

"She has a burner phone, there's no way I can trace it," he told Jax

"So what does that mean?" Jax asked

"It means that unless she wants to be found, we aren't going to find her"Juice replied

Jax swore and threw the chair across the room "Where else would she go?"

"I don't know. Besides you, me and Chibs, she really only hangs out with her brothers and sisters" he answered

Jax let out a low growl and his phone began to ring. He answered it quick

"Hello?"

" _Jax, it's Tara,"_ she told him

"Now's not a good time," he told her

" _You're looking for J.T. right?"_

"How do you know that?"

" _She's at with Abel. She's been here for a few hours"_

"Thanks, Tara, I'm on my way there. Keep her there if you can"

Tara just scoffed and hung up her phone

Jax turned back to Juice and told him where she was. The two men hopped on their bikes and took off to the hospital as fast as they could go.

* * *

Unfortunately for them, J.T. had overheard Tara's call to Jax, so as soon as Tara was out of sight she said goodbye to Abel and snuck out of the hospital and back to her car. Pulling away from the hospital J.T. wasn't sure where she wanted to go. She just knew that she didn't want to go back to Lena and Destiny. At least, not right then. She had clothes in her backpack and a duffel bag in her trunk full of extra clothes and other necessities. She thought back to the last letter she got from her mother, it was postmarked in Tacoma, so that's where J.T. started to go. But when she reached the highway she changed her mind and changed her direction so that instead of going to Tacoma, she'd be going back to Georgia.

* * *

J.T. was still driving when the sun began to rise. She reached for her bag to dig out her phone, but instead, she grabbed some paper that she had in there. She cussed and pulled off the road so she could grab her phone. She pulled it from her bag and dialed her dad's number, looking at the paper she grabbed as it rang. The paper was actually a picture and it was the pictures that she and Jax had taken back at Fun Town. She was thinking about Jax, feeling a bit sad that she didn't get to say goodbye to him or any of the guys before she took off. The contemplation of calling them bounced around her brain when her father finally picked up

" _Yeah?"_ the gruff voice questioned

"Pop? It's me Jude" she replied

" _Hey, hey, how you living kid?"_

"California dreaming" she chuckled "You hear from Vince at all?"

" _That idiot son of mine? Yeah, he's been locked up in county for the last few months"_

"Christ for what?"

" _Got him on a GTA and assault. He's gonna be gone for a long time"_

"Damn"

" _Yeah. What'chu calling here for anyway?"_

"Uh, I was taking off, thinking about heading back home. Can I come home?"

Joe sighed deeply before replying " _Kid you know this ain't your home no more. And as it is I ain't even your father. If you really takin off you should be tracking that mother of yours, maybe find your real father while you're at it."_

The line clicked dead and tears welled in J.T.'s eyes. She tried to wipe them quickly and turned the car around, heading back for Charming. While on the road she dialed Juice's number and put it to her ear

" _Hello?"_ he answered

"Juice its J.T. I need you to not tell anyone that it's me for a sec," she told him

" _Jesus Christ, where the hell are you?"_ he whispered harshly

"On my way back. I can't go back to Georgia. I don't know what to do" she told him

" _Why would you need to? What happened?"_

"Shit went down with Lena, I'm not gonna be there much longer. Tried to go back home but I'm not wanted there anymore"

" _I'm sorry kid. Come back and I'll help you figure shit out. Jax is worried like hell about you, you know he'll help you with anything you need"_

"Yeah, I'll be back soon. I'll make Jax's my first stop I guess"

Juice said ok, that he'd see her later and hung up the phone.

 **A/N: Please let me know how you felt about the chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another chapter to give you guys more changes and drama. Let me know how you feel! Don't be a ghost!**

After Juice hung up his phone he went to find Jax, finding him talking to Gemma about Abel

"Jax!" he called

"What is it?" Jax replied

"I just got a call from J.T."

Jax's eyes widened "What when? Where is she?"

"A few minutes ago. She's on her way back now, she tried to go back to Georgia" Juice explained

"Why the hell would she try and go back there?" asked Gemma

"I guess something happened with Lena and she said that she won't be there much longer, then something about her wanting to go back to Georgia but they didn't want her back," Juice told them

"They who?" asked Jax

"Probably the guy she thinks is her old man" he replied

"When she gets back we're gonna have to share some secrets," Gemma tells Jax

Jax nods and goes off to talk to Unser, while Gemma leaves to find Clay.

* * *

It was early in the afternoon when J.T. pulled back in front of Jax's house. Unfortunately, the driveway was empty, so she decided to head back home.

When she walked in Destiny was in the kitchen and Lena sat at the table reading the newspaper. She walked into the kitchen, shoving her hands deep into her pockets and looking at the floor, avoiding Destiny and Lena's eyes. As soon as Destiny saw her standing in the doorway, she dropped the spoon in her hand

"Oh my god Jude!" she exclaimed

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" Lena told her jumping to her feet

J.T. just stared down at her feet, not wanting to snap at her and not wanting to lead on that she was upset

"Well, what do you have to say?" Lena demanded

"I'm sorry" J.T. whispered

Destiny sighed "We're sorry too. Things were said last night that shouldn't have been said"

"It's fine" J.T. shrugged, "We all said some bad shit last night. Best to just try and move on"

Lena nodded in agreement "The stress from work's been getting to me, but still, it was wrong of me to say those things"

J.T. nodded "Well, uh, I was supposed to go see Jax, so I guess I'll be back in a bit"

"Why don't you get some rest and see Jax later?" Destiny suggested

"I'd rather just get it over with now" J.T. replied

"Well, when you get back we all need to talk," Lena told her

J.T. nodded, excusing herself to her room to change her clothes before she went to see Jax.

* * *

When she got to the garage she went over to the boxing ring where everyone had gathered around, watching Half-Sac working a few combos.

"Damn good right hook" she commented, causing them to look at her

"Where the hell you been?" questioned Tig

"Don't worry about it" she answered

"Yeah, well I was worried about you. So I'm gonna worry about it" Jax stated

"How much money gets thrown around at these bare fist things?" Clay asked, diverting their attention

"The purse is ok, but it's the betting that's crazy," Tig told him

"That's true" J.T. continued "Back in Hell's Kitchen, shit even in Georgia, I knew some guys who made six figures...each"

"Really?" Clay asked in astonishment

"The prospect can knock out any one of those lightweights, any day of the week" Chibs exclaimed

"No doubt. But the best thing is, is that if you put him in going strong, you can control how it ends" she explained

Clay was silent for a moment, thinking "What did we pull from McKeevy?"

"Hundred and twenty" Bobby answered, "You ain't thinking about betting on the prospect are you?"

"You heard the kid. Could be a huge payday" Tig shrugged

"What do you think?" Clay asked Jax

"I don't know" Jax shook his head, looking at J.T. for a moment "But I know there's no way we're raising eighty grand in the next four days. Might be our only shot"

There was a pause before everyone agreed on the plan. Clay ordered Tig to take fifty grand and to bet it on the prospect, wanting to see it triple, then told Chibs that he was training him. Jax took this time to pull J.T. aside and talk to her.

He pulled her into the office and closed the door, giving them some privacy

"So you want to tell me what happened last night?" he questioned

"Not really" she mumbled

He sighed "Do you have any idea how damn scared I was, getting a call in the middle of the night because no one can find you?"

She stared at the floor "What do you care for? No one else does"

"What do I- What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted

"I wish I knew," she said in a low whisper

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Clay opening the door

"I need you to call Unser, see if he wants in on this fight action," he told his VP

Jax shook his head "He's out on the job. Water and Power dug up bones on 44"

"Shit" Clay swore, backing out and grabbing Tig

"What?" Jax called after him. After receiving no answer, he left and followed them. Huffing, J.T. walked out of the office, shouting to the guys that she was going to crash in Jax's dorm for a bit.

* * *

That night, J.T. woke up to her phone ringing, having accidentally slept longer than she meant to. She looked at the caller ID and sighed, flipping it open

"Yeah?" she asked

" _I said we had to talk, so get to the house. Now" Lena demanded_

Before J.T. could reply, Lena hung up the phone, the dial tone buzzing in her ears. She stretched out with a slight groan and grabbed her keys, making her way out of the clubhouse.

"Ay, kid! Where you running off to now?" called Chibs

"Lena's. Said she wants to talk, so I'll probably be back tomorrow" she replied

He waved her off, then went back to yelling at Half-Sac.

She drove back to the house, parking on the street in case she had to leave quickly. When she walked into the house the first thing she noticed was that everyone was gathered around the table, the second was that Nick's father, Frank, was there and finally that not only Jude and Jayme were crying, but Destiny's face was wet and splotchy like she had been crying as well.

"Who died?" she inquired, walking into the kitchen

"No one died Jude. I'm just here to make sure everything goes smoothly" Frank informed her

"What are you talking about? The hell's going on?" she questioned

"Kids, please go upstairs," said Destiny, earning her a glare from Lena

One by one all of J.T.'s siblings left, leaving her alone with the adults

"Judas, we've come to a decision. Regarding your staying here" Lena stated, "We feel that-"

"Don't you dare! **We** don't feel that way **you** do" Destiny cried harshly

Lena sighed "You've made no progress or effort to become part of this family. You stopped going to therapy, you get into fights, disappearing all hours and you're causing problems for the other kids"

"What are you talking about? I've been trying to get better and make all this work" J.T. shouted

"Are you? Because it doesn't seem like it. I think it's best that you leave, I'll call social services in the morning"

J.T's head snapped to Destiny's sobbing form "No...please…"

"I'm sorry. Now, please, I packed all your belongings already, they're waiting by the door" Lena replied coldly. Frank walked around the table and put his hand on her shoulder, leading her to the door. Her two bags sat in front of the door, but her eyes were stuck on her brothers and sisters crowding the top of the stairs. She wasn't sure if it was rage or hurt that made her snap the way she did, but the next thing she knew she smacked Frank's hand off of her and lifted her bags, shouting to Lena

"Don't bother calling social services, I'm the hell outta here" she snapped "Tell 'em I ran away if you have to, I don't care." she gave one last look to her siblings "See y'all around"

She slammed the door closed behind her, tossed the bags in her trunk and sped off, driving toward the hospital.

* * *

Half in tears she arrived at the hospital and went up to Abel's room, finding Jax with Tara. After one look at the young teen, Jax went into protective mode

"Jude, what're you doing here?" he asked

She looked at Tara who rolled her eyes and left the room

"What's going on?" he asked again

"Lena kicked me out," she told him, trying not to cry since she felt that she had done that enough that week

His eyes widened "Jesus Christ. What do you mean she kicked you out?"

"She kicked me out! As in she packed my shit and told me she didn't want me around anymore. She's supposed to call social services in the morning" she explained, sitting in the chair "I don't want to get shipped to another foster home Jax"

Jax stared at her, thinking this was his chance to come clean about their relationship. But the reminder that Clay and Tig were in the morgue trying to make sure some bodies couldn't be identified stopped him.

"Go to my house tonight," he told her, giving her a key "Stay there and tomorrow we'll figure it out. I'm not going to let you bounce around more foster homes"

She took the key and put it in her pocket "Thanks, Jax. I got no idea what you're planning, but thanks for helping me out, even if it's just for tonight"

He nodded and kissed her head before leaving to see what Clay and Tig were up to, J.T. leaving soon after to head to go to Jax's house.

* * *

When she got to the house, everything was dark and quiet, she didn't bother looking back at Destiny and Lena's house. She opened the door, closing it slowly after hearing what sounded like something crashing in one of the rooms. Unsheathing the knife from her belt, she held it in a defensive position and crept down the hall.

She got to Abel's nursery, where the sound was the loudest and saw the man that was in the hospital standing, facing the wall and peeing on the floor. He finished and turned around and jumped at seeing J.T. standing with her knife raised, but her eyes caught on the badge on his belt

"You're a cop" she stated

"ATF" he replied

There was a pregnant pause, tension filling the air. He lunged at the teen, pushing her into the wall trying to get the knife away from her. She let out a scream, swinging the knife and cutting the man's arm open. He lunged again, grabbing her throat and slamming her into the dresser, knocking down shelves of diapers and wipes. She tried to get away, punching and kicking but she was overpowered. He easily lifted her up, smashing her head against the edge of the dresser until he felt her go limp, which he let her fall to the floor and stepped over her and out of the Teller home.

 **A/N: HOLY SHYTE! Jude gets kicked out and attacked in the same effing day! Lena is something else for that. And look at our girl JT with her streetwise knowledge. But that scene with her and Jax in the office? We will be seeing more of a vulnerable JT this time around**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning J.T. awoke, her brain pounding against her skull. She groaned as she got up, looking around to try and figure out where she was. Figuring out she was in Abel's bedroom in Jax's house, memories of the previous night came flooding back to her.

"Oh, my God!" Gemma exclaimed, dropping the things in her hands "Jude, what happened?"

"Some guy...trashed the room, attacked me when I tried to stop him" she answered

"Don't move" Gemma ordered, going to the kitchen for ice and calling Jax. She handed J.T. the ice pack and helped her sit on the rocking chair, examining her injuries.

"Besides my head it's nothing. Bruises and a bloody lip. I've gotten a lot worse" she told the older woman

Gemma sighed, looking around the destroyed room "Smells like piss"

"Because he pissed on the damn floor"

"Holy shit" Gemma scoffed

* * *

Jax walked into the room, taking in the damage before noticing J.T. in the chair.

"Jesus Christ" he sighed "Are you ok?"

"Fine. Just a headache at this point" she replied

"Who did this?" Gemma asked Jax

"ATF" he and J.T. answered at the same time

"What?" asked Jax

J.T. shifted and groaned "This old guy, seen him at the hospital with Abel before. He was here last night when I got here. Had a badge on him. I called him a cop, he said he was ATF, came at me, knocked my blade out of my hands and slammed me against the dresser till I passed out"

"Why would ATF do this?" Gemma questioned

"Tara" Jax answered

"That stupid bitch" she exclaimed

"How is this her fault?"

Gemma didn't answer and J.T. couldn't think straight enough to answer

"This guy's dead" Jax spat maliciously

"At least" Gemma huffed

Once he walked outside Jax called Hale

"Yeah, Kohn's still in town. Damn near busted J.T.'s head open" he told him

" _I know he's still in town. He's at Floyd's and I'm taking care of it" Hale replied_

Jax hung up the phone and started his bike, racing toward Floyd's to get his payback for J.T. before Hale got to him.

He parked down the block and walked into the barbershop, Floyd seeing the biker and knowing what was about to happen, stepped away. Jax stood over Kohn until he looked up and tried to run, Jax grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him against the mirror

"You want to go to war with me you sick piece of shit?" he growled, "Attack my kid?"

He then threw the corrupt agent through the window, climbing out to throw a few punches and screaming when Kohn stabbed him in the leg with a pair of scissors, but continuing to swing until Hale breaks up the fight. Hale and the other officers hauled both men into separate patrol cars and down to the station. Floyd swearing up and down that Jax was using self-defense after Kohn stabbed him with the scissors.

"Barber says you came in for a haircut" Stahl read "Agent Kohn attacked you with a pair of scissors. So you pushed him through a plate glass window. Self-defense"

"If that's what Floyd saw I guess that's what happened" Jax commented

Stahl gave a sarcastic grin "That's fantastic. So tell me, are they all just afraid of you...or convinced that you're a necessary evil?"

"Are you charging me?" Jax asked her

"No charges" Unser answered

Jax nodded and began to get up

"Why does Kohn have a hard-on for you?" Stahl suddenly questioned

He sat back down "You know why"

"You're right. I do. Tara Knowles, the charming ingenue. Highschool sweethearts right?"

"Yeah"

"She fears for her life, so she comes back home...to the only man she knows loves her enough to protect her, a guy who would have no problem...putting a fed through a plate glass window. That's beautiful. Really, it is. I wish I had that kind of pull over someone. You're a lucky man"

"You done?"

"Yeah" Unser interrupted "She's done"

Jax nodded to him and got up, limping away

"My regards to little Jude too. I look forward to talking with her soon" Stahl called out to Jax

He did a double take and glared at her, continuing on his way to make sure Kohn left town.

* * *

Gemma made J.T. stay in bed all day, not wanting her to overdo it with her head. By the time J.T. was up and moving around again, it was nighttime again and Gemma had already cleaned up the mess.

"How you feel?" she asked

"Sore" J.T. answered with a dry chuckle "So, I gotta talk to Jax when he gets back. Gotta go away for a little while"

"What? Why?"

"Long story"

Gemma didn't get to press for more answers since Jax had finally come back to the house

"Why aren't you at the fight?" she asked, blowing smoke

"I had my share for today" he scoffed, kissing her cheek and taking the smoke from her hand "How you feeling kid?"

"We'll talk," J.T. said, giving him a knowing look

"Yeah" commented Gemma "Your leg ok?"

"Yeah"

"Where's the doctor?"

"I don't know"

"Where are you going with that Jax?"

"Nowhere. I got more important things to worry about"

J.T. caught the intense glance he sent her way, almost like he was trying to make a point to Gemma without J.T. knowing about it.

"I know," Gemma told him "But I don't believe you. I've seen you two together, how you act around her. She's still got ties in you"

"You know what? I don't give a shit what you think" he stated

J.T.'s eyes widened

"What I do, what Tara does- it's not your business" he finished

"Oh, cleaning up piss, broken cribs, J.T's blood, that's my business?"

"No one asked you to take this on. This house, this kid. It's not your burden. It's mine"

No one said a word, so Jax hobbled away, leaving J.T. to follow him.

"Shit" Gemma mumbled

"Jax!" J.T. shouted

He stopped and turned around "I'm sorry you had to see that"

"It's fine. You know Gemma cares about you, that's why she acts so damn crazy" J.T. told him

"Yeah, well, she can drive you a little crazy" he muttered, lighting a cigarette

"I have to ask you something" she stated

Jax raised his brow, trying to maintain a cool facade while his heart skipped a few beats

"In there, what the hell was that between you and Gemma?"

"What do you mean?"

"When she was asking about where you and Tara were going, you said you had more important things to worry about and you looked at me. You looked at me like you didn't want me to catch something unspoken between you and Gemma"

"I just...I meant about your head. That's all"

J.T. stared at him for a solid minute

"You are a shitty liar Teller," she said slowly "What're you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything"

"Mhm. Well because of this social services thing I guess I'll have to wait to find the answer"

"I'm trying to do something for you. Keep you out of another home"

"It's too late. The caseworker called me today, she said if I don't walk into Charming police station by 9 a.m. tomorrow, they're going to have a warrant out for my arrest. So, I don't have much of a choice but to go to whatever group home they put me in"

"A group home? I thought they'd find you another family to be placed with"

JT shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears, "The Spencers were my last chance. Because of the problems, I had before I got put in the 'high-risk' category"

"What does that mean?" Jax inquired

"It means that I'll never be fostered again and no one will want to adopt me" she answered. Jax looked at her with a frown, he had no idea she wanted to be adopted "I mean, I don't care much about any of that. In a few years, I'll be on my own anyway, but those group homes...some of the worst kids in there. Co-ed isn't so bad, but if it's girls only I'm screwed. Guys will beat on you and call it a day, girls...girls are a lot more malicious. They'll mess with your food, get you in the shower or while you sleep. It's like a prison in there"

"So juvie or the group home it's lose-lose"

JT nodded. Jax grabbed her chin and turned her head so that she was looking at him

"Listen to me. I'm going to get you out as soon as I can, but I need you to stick it out in the meantime. You can come to the shop and leave your stuff with me so you don't have to worry about anything but keeping yourself safe." He sighed, looking worn "There's a lot I need to tell you and when I see you tomorrow, I swear I will. All of it"

"The truth?" Jude asked

"The truth" he agreed

JT nodded, letting out a breath and wiping her face "My car and everything will stay, I'll leave it all in the trunk. Don't worry Jax, I know how to survive in there, I just can't guarantee it'll be unscathed"

Realization struck Jax like a semi "The burns…" he whispered, "They happened in a group home, didn't they?"

JT nodded

"Come on. You need to sleep before you have to go in tomorrow"

"Yeah, better sleep while I can"

Jax put his arm around her shoulders, steering her into his bedroom, where he tucked her into his bed and waited until she was asleep before going into the nursery to talk to Gemma.

* * *

"Jude's going to a group home tomorrow," he told her

"What?" she exclaimed

Jax shushed her "She just fell asleep, I don't want her to wake up. Lena kicked her out today. She said Destiny didn't want her to but she did anyway. The caseworker said that if she didn't show up at the police station tomorrow to be put in a group home, she'd be put in juvie"

"We have to do something" Gemma stated "Call Rosen and see what he can do"

"I will, but it's going to take time and even then, there are no guarantees"

"You need to tell her the truth Jax"

"I am. Tomorrow. I'm going to tell her everything"

Gemma shook her head "We should've done this a long time ago Jax. Her in that place...I don't like it, she's not safe there"

"I know, but she's leaving everything here, taking the clothes on her back and her phone. She's going to spend as much time at the shop as she can, so she'll be safe"

"You should sleep too, we got a long day tomorrow"

Jax nodded, kissing Gemma's cheek "I'll let you know when I find everything out. I think you should be nearby to talk to her"

Gemma agreed and turned, leaving the house and Jax went out to the couch, stretching out and falling into a restless sleep.

 **A/N: Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Trigger warning for sexual assault, so if that bothers you I'd skip the seventh (or eighth) paragraph. And just a little PSA JT is played permanently by Imogen Poots. She just has the face I'm looking for when it comes to JT's emotions. So please review!**

Gemma went back to the house the next morning, gently waking JT from her sleep.

"Gem? Where's Jax?" JT asked groggily

"Church. I'm going to bring you to the station" She answered

JT nodded and pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed, then stood up, stretching out before changing her clothes and dragging her bag into the living room, where Gemma was waiting.

"You gonna bring that?" she questioned

JT shook her head "No, it's going to stay in the trunk. Should I bring the car to the lot first?"

"No. We need to talk. I'll have the prospect tow it"

"Talk about what?"

Gemma didn't answer her question, just began to walk outside. Confused, JT hoisted her bag over her shoulder and followed her. After tossing the bag in her trunk, she joined Gemma in her caddy and the two pulled away from the house.

It was silent at first, so JT tried to break the silence

"Abel gets out today right?" she asked

Gemma nodded but didn't say anything. A thick tension filled the air, making JT panic to the point of snapping

"Jesus Christ Gemma! What's going on?" she yelled

Gemma pulled the car over and looked at JT "You should've been told this a long time ago. I told him to tell you, but he still hasn't and I'm done waiting"

"Tell me what? You told who to tell me?" she questioned

"The truth Jude. I'm going to tell you the truth"

"What truth?"

Gemma sighed "Jax is your father, Jude"

JT's breath hitched "What? No"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner"

"Why? Why didn't anyone tell me!"

"Jax thought you were better off with that other family than you were with us. Safer."

"Better off? Yeah, clearly I'm a lot better off! On the goddamn streets again!"

"Hey! You are not going to be on the street. Jax and I have been talking to Unser and our lawyer, and we're going to get custody of you"

Tears filled JT's eyes and she turned her head to look out of the window, biting her thumb

"Go," she told Gemma

"What?" she replied

"Go. Drive. I don't give a shit about anything, I'm not going to juvie for this bullshit" JT answered

Gemma put the car back in gear and drove off toward the station. She watched her granddaughter walk in, seeing Unser escort her away from the door.

* * *

"In this house, we have rules. Now, I know some of you aren't used to having them, but you will follow them. If you do not, you will earn yourself a trip to juvenile hall." The man running the house dryly explained to the new arrivals "Breakfast is at 6:30, miss it and you will not eat. Lunch is at noon and dinner is at 6. Same applies for every meal. Unless you have a job or other commitment, you are expected to return to this house immediately after school, and yes I require proof of this. Lights out at 9. There are no cell phones or electronic devices allowed, so pass them up ladies" he finished, reaching his hand out for the devices. The others passed up their phones, JT handing him a dummy phone she scored from Juice the previous day. He stared at her a few moments longer than necessary before finishing the rules and house tour. Everyone in the house received a chore, JT landing bathroom cleaning duty for mouthing off to the guy in charge.

Thankfully, JT was able to escape the house to go down to the garage and she was hoping to see Jax, craving a confrontation with him.

* * *

Jax walked into the hospital room to see Gemma sitting on the rocking chair watching Abel in his incubator. He walked around to the other side of his son, facing his mother and staring at her while she made a face at him.

"I'm sorry" he finally told her "I didn't mean to go off on you last night"

"I'm sorry too" she replied "It was a crazy day"

Jax nodded and Gemma sighed, getting up and moving closer to him

"Strange time, Jax. So much shit is changing. I just worry...about you, about him, about JT"

"About Tara" Jax finished, causing Gemma to look straight up at him. "What happened between me and Tara...It's ancient history, mom."

"She hurt this family. Tried to pull you away"

"I didn't leave did I?"

"But she did. Broke your heart"

Jax sighed "I guess"

"You guess?" Gemma snapped "She crushed you, Jax!"  
"I was 19. It was first love bullshit. I grew up, I got over it. It's time you got over it too"

"Somebody hurts your baby, you never get over it"

Jax smiled at her, looking down at his son "You take care of JT this morning?"

Gemma moved away from the incubator "Yeah, something like that"

"What do you mean? You dropped her off didn't you?"

She nodded "Yeah. I also told her the truth"

Jax's face dropped "What did you tell her?"

Gemma didn't answer or look at her son

"Mom! What did you tell JT?" he shouted

Gemma turned back to him sharply, "I told her the truth about who she is Jackson! The truth you weren't telling her!"

He slammed his hand on the wall "Dammit mom! Why?"

"Because she had a right to know! And I got tired of waiting for you to decide to tell her"

Jax opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by his cell phone ringing

"What?" he answered

" _Jax, you should get to the garage. JT is here and she's pissed as hell looking for you" Juice told him_

"I'm on my way, just try and calm her down"

Juice agreed and hung up. Jax turning back to his mother with a glare

"That was Juice. JT is looking for me at the garage, pissed as hell" he told her

"Dr. Namid's still in surgery, so he won't be out of there for a while" she replied

"I know. I came early to talk to you. We need a favor"

* * *

Jax came back to the clubhouse, covered in blood from helping out a truck accident on his way back. Momentarily forgetting her anger, JT followed everyone into the clubhouse, hearing them talk about meth found in the truck

"Darby runs a meth lab out of a diesel yard in Pope. It's usually where the mill drivers score their stuff" JT told them

Jax looked at her from washing his hands "How the hell do you know that?"

"I had a few run-ins with Darby and his boys. Dumbass rednecks think they can race their trucks against some actual racing cars, high as hell. It's easy money" she answered with a shrug

"This is definitely Darby's shit" stated Juice "This rocks been stepped on so many times it's barely a narcotic"

"See, Darby's making his move into Charming dealing at that lumber mill," says Tig "Clay, we gotta send this Nazi asshole a clear message now"

"All right!" Jax cuts in "Why don't we just go talk to the driver? Ask him where he bought the meth"

The other club members stared at him

"Go" Clay finally conceded

Jax ripped his shirt away from Tig and started leaving with Ope

"How's McKeevy's cash piling up?" asked Chibs

"Luann came up with fifty, we need twenty more" Clay replied "Got six hours to find it"

They began to disperse, leaving Chibs, Juice, JT, and Half-Sac at the bar

"If you ever want to own a top rocker, Prospect, then you better bring twenty grand to the table, sharpish. You got me?" Chibs told Half-Sac, tapping his cheek. Juice tapped the side of his head, getting off of the bar stool

"Guys, hold up" JT called "Prospect get lost"

Half-Sac stared at her, not believing she just gave him an order

"You heard her. Beat it" Chibs snapped

Reluctantly, he walked away, leaving the three of them alone.

"What's going on, kid?" questioned the Scotsman

"You guys need cash for the club right?" she replied

"That's not something-" Juice began

"I can front you ten grand. Maybe fifteen" she stated, cutting him off

"How do you have money like that?"

"No legal way, that's for damn sure"

"And you're willing to just front us that much cash?"

"Sort of. I want answers, you two give them to me and the money's yours"

"What answers?"

"Gemma told me about Jax this morning. Did you guys know too?"

The two men looked at each other

"We all did" Chibs answered

"How long?" she questioned

"He had me look into all of you when you moved in. I found everything out and told him the next day...everyone else found out later on" Juice told her

"What do you mean you found out everything?"

"I mean, Jax and I know all of it. Everything that happened to you"

JT paused, wiping the tears forming in her eyes "Was he ever going to tell me himself?"

"He wanted to. But, this life...it can be dangerous at times. He thought that if he didn't tell you and you stayed with that family...that you'd be spared and have a good life" Chibs answered

"Some good life!" she snapped "Walking on eggshells all the time because every step I take is scrutinized and one wrong move can land me in a place that no one wants to be. Always on edge because you never know when you're going to be moved or if the next people are going to be good to you or not. What kind of good life is that?"

Neither men had an answer for her, so she scoffed and moved away from the bar

"I'll have the money in a few hours" she stated, leaving to go gather the cash

* * *

A few hours and a couple annoying phone calls later, JT was coming back with the money, when she saw Half-Sac running toward an ambulance and Juice standing near the tow truck

"Oh no, he's not!" Juice exclaimed, Half-Sac getting into the ambulance and driving away "Yes he is"

"What the hell is he doing?" she asked

"I have no idea and I really don't want to know" he answered, "You good?"

She nodded "Yeah. You going back to the garage?"

"Yup"

"Good"

She walked around the tow truck and got in the passenger side, Juice joining her shortly after, the pair of them heading off to Teller-Morrow.

"So you stole an ambulance?" Tig questioned as soon as Juice and JT walked into the garage

"I had nothing to do with this" Juice stated

"Where's Clay?" JT asked

"Right here" Clay replied, leaning in the doorway

She walked over to him and handed over the bag "Fifteen grand"

"What the hell?"

"For the club. You can pay me back when you can"

He looked at her and nodded his thanks

"Look, I gotta get back to the group home. Have Gemma call me when Abel gets out, I'll bust out" she told them, backing up and leaving the garage.

Jax arrived not too long after she left with the rest of the money, plus a little extra, learning that some of it was fronted by JT in exchange for some answers from Juice and Chibs. Later on, he sent her a text to meet him at the hospital when Gemma showed up to tell him that Abel was being taken out.

* * *

After receiving a message from both Jax and Gemma, JT slowly crept out of her bedroom and snuck down the hallway, freezing when she heard the heavy footsteps of the caretaker, Harvey.

"What the hell are you doing?" he slurred

He was clearly drunk and from past experiences, JT knew that it could go one of two ways. Either she tricks him and he falls for it or he becomes violent. Good or Bad. No in-between

"Bathroom" she answered

He stumbled closer to her, the smell of alcohol reeking off of him "You have an attitude, you know that?"

"I didn't-"

He grabbed her face "Foul mouth for a pretty girl"

JT was frozen in fear, unable to speak or move. He still had a hold on her face and he felt his other hand move to her inner thigh, slowly creeping upward

"You'd be smart if you just kept quiet" he whispered

"Stop" she cried out "Stop it!" finally she pushed at him, making him stagger back a few feet. Taking the opportunity now that his hands were off of her, she bolted out of the house and kept running until the house was nowhere in sight.

Eventually, she made it to the hospital, still shaking and crying from what had occurred at the group home. She made her way up to Abel's room, seeing Jax bouncing and cradling him on the rocking chair from the window. Tara and Gemma were both in the room but didn't see her either. She snapped a few pictures on her phone, then ducked behind a hall when the two women turned to leave the room. She peered into the room once more before leaving, opening her phone to call an old friend.

"Yo, Esai. You still need me for that job?" she questioned, walking out the back entrance to the hospital.

" _You bet. Let me know where you are, I'll pick you up."_

* * *

Esai picked her up, handing her a too-large black hoodie and a ski mask, along with his extra Glock. They pulled onto the street, parking in front of the house

"Put the mask on" Esai ordered "All you need to do is find those ATF files. Got it?"

"Yeah" JT replied

"Ay, you gonna back out now? Because it's now or never"

"I'm in. Just feel like shit about it"

"Since when?"

"Since I got some hard truths. But, I figured I need more people on my side"

He nodded, looked at the house "Let's go"

His friend pulled out the gun and Esai put up his hood. The exited the car, JT waiting by the bushes. The two men burst in, firing shots

"Let's go!" one of them called

JT ran in and began searching the house, stepping over the bodies. She found a manilla folder with the ATF seal on it, holding it out to Esai

"Got it," she told him "Let's go"

Esai hesitated, looking at the bodies

"What's the matter man?" shouted his friend

"I'm not sure this is the right dude" he replied, "Goddamn it's gotta be!"

"We gotta split dog, let's go!"

One by one they all ran out of the house and back to the car, speeding back toward the Mayan's clubhouse.

"Shit kid. You need us to drop you off?" he asked her

She shook her head "I'll figure it out in the morning. I just need a place to crash"

"I'll put you up for the night. Just crash in my room"

She thanked him, walked back into his bedroom and sat on the bed, finally letting the panic wash over her. She sobbed, her breath coming out in short gasps, not stopping until the sun was peaking over the horizon.

 **A/N: Gemma. Handling shit herself since the beginning. Let me know what you guys think or if you have any questions!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter warning for sexual assault and pretty severe and descriptive abuse. I apologize for the wait but I'm going to try and update more often. Let me know what you think of this chapter or any ideas for future ones.**

The next morning after the hit, there was a knock at Esai's door. The person on the other side didn't wait for a reply, the door opening and Marcus Alvarez himself walking inside

"Uh-Oh" JT exclaimed

"Uh-Oh is right," he said, pulling a chair across from her "You don't belong here, mi hija"

"Where do I belong then? Because I have no idea anymore" she asked

"Something you want to share little one?" he answered

"I found my dad. Turns out he's been right next to me this whole time and he never said anything, someone else had to tell me. And I got kicked out of my foster home. They stuck me in some shit group home on the border and this guy that runs it, he-" She stopped, realizing she was saying too much

"He what?" Alvarez prodded

"...Nothing. He's just another asshole"

"I know about the job. What happened. You never belonged there in the first place, you should go home"

"What about Esai?"

"I'll take care of my son, don't worry"

"Can I just...can I stay here a little while longer? Please, I don't want to go back there yet"

Alvarez nodded, squeezing JT's shoulder and getting up to leave

"Marcus?" JT called out

"Yeah?" he replied

"If I ever needed to get out of town for a while...would you be able to help me?" she asked

"Why would you need to get out of town? You involved in something you shouldn't be?"

"No, it's just…a safety thing I guess. If things go south in Charming"

"If you ever need help, with anything. You come to me mi hija. Understand?"

JT nodded "Thank you"

He sent her a smile and left the room. She laid back on the bed, finally feeling a bit relaxed and fell asleep, ignoring the persistent ringing of her cell phone.

* * *

"JT isn't answering her phone either" Gemma stated, snapping her phone shut

"You think they went after her too?" Opie asked

"I don't know. She didn't show up for Abel and isn't answering her phone" she answered

"JT can take care of herself, I mean she probably got held up at the group home"

"I can't just sit here"

She got up and began walking toward the door, but was caught by the arm by Clay

"Hey," he said, "Until we see where this lands, you stay put, understand?"

"What if they got to them?" she demanded

"Jax and JT can take care of themselves, Gem," Tig told her

She glared at him and Opie rose to his feet "I'm going to go down to the hospital, see if he's down there"

"I'll go with you" Piney grumbled

Just as Opie and Piney left, Chibs came out of the chapel to explain what was going on with Cameron and Clay told him to just do what he could. A few moments later the doorbell buzzed and Gemma looked at the monitor

"Unser at the back door" she called out

"Let him in," he told her, then turned to Tig "Shut those doors"

Tig told Chibs and Juice to keep Hayes quiet while Gemma let Unser into the building.

"What can I do for you Chief?" Clay asked

"I need to bring you down to the station, ask a few questions" Unser replied

"Why? What happened?" Gemma inquired

"Someone went after Darby last night. Killed one of his guys, two women, at his house. In Charming" Unser announced

"You think it was us?" Gemma asked as she strolled behind Clay

"I also found two dead Mayans over on 18. Half a mile outside of Charming. Last time I looked at the scoreboard, Nords and Mayans were the away team"

"Glad to know you're rooting for the home team, Cheif" Clay joked

Unser glared "I-I see you for a minute?"

Clay looked at Gemma then got up and followed Unser

"This ain't funny at all. Five DB's. Know what kind of heat that brings?"

Clay stared at him, then slowly opened the Chapel doors, revealing Cameron Hayes.

"Jesus Christ!" Unser exclaimed, "Who the hell is that?"

"Friend" Clay answered "With two bullets in his ass that were meant for my head. The Mayans went after me too"

"Goddammit!"

"We didn't have anything to do with Darby. And the dead Mexicans were a result of their own stupidity, but I made sure that it didn't land in Charming"

"Barely. My office still has the stink of ATF. This body count's going to bring that haughty bitch right back. I need you to come with me, all right? Due process"

"I got nothing to hide" Clay agreed, following Unser as he tried to leave

"Hey, you don't go alone" Tig stated

"Hey, I think I could keep him safe" Unser cut in

"It'll be fine. You hold it together here" Clay reassured

"I'll meet you down there," Gemma told them

"No!" Clay barked "You stay put" he grabbed her face and kissed her before leaving

After they left there was another problem with the Irishman, and this time Gemma was going to find Jax, whether Tig stopped her or not.

* * *

JT stayed at the Mayan clubhouse until later that evening when she finally returned to the group home. Harvey was passed out in his office as she crept into the room she shared with four other girls. She was just passing by the showers when something wrapped around her throat and pulled her into the bathroom, her body hitting the tiled wall with a thud, several pairs of hands keeping her still. The cloth around her neck was pulled tighter as her head was forced back

"Fuck you" she choked out

The person behind her slammed her face into the wall, then had her pinned to the floor where she could see some of the other girls of the house pinning her down, one holding the cloth against her neck while another girl sat on her chest

"You better listen maggot. If Harvey doesn't get what he wants from you he takes double from us. Understand?" the girl on her chest sneered

"What the hell...are you talking about" JT coughed

"You gotta pay your dues goldie locks" one of the other girls replied

"We know you got away last night" the girl holding the cloth barked, pulling it tighter "He came after me for that shit"

JT gagged, trying to pry the cloth away from her throat. One of the girls must've seen her face start turning colors because the one near JT's head loosened the cloth so she could breathe. After taking several deep breaths she looked to the girls holding her arms and legs

"And if I don't? Pay my dues?" she questioned

"We do worse than this" the girl on her chest warned, then got up.

Before JT could react, she was hauled to her feet and held tight by the cloth on her neck, cutting off her breathing and the other girls began beating on her, some with their fists and others with socks full of batteries. She was struck in the face a few times, feeling her nose dripping blood and her freshly split lip, but the worse was when they got her in the torso with the batteries, her chest feeling like it was caving in. She wasn't awake for all of it, blacking out from lack of oxygen a few minutes after they began, but that didn't stop them, instead, they allowed her to drop and continued to beat her with the batteries, the girls that didn't have them opting to kick her. The beating went on for another half hour until they heard Harvey began to move around, sending them scattering and leaving Jude bloody, unconscious, and totally defenseless.

* * *

JT finally started coming around sometime the next morning, groaning from the pain and letting out weak coughs. She tried to move, but pain radiated throughout her entire body, causing her to try and cry out, a strangled noise coming out instead. She looked over herself, seeing dried blood and bruises on her hands and blood staining her shirt. When she saw her legs her heart stopped. Her pants and underwear were around her ankles, blood streaking down her multicolored legs. Moving quickly she grabbed her pants and put them back on right, crying through the pain. She was able to lift herself up using the sink, a monster looking back at her through the mirror. Her face was covered in dark bruises, her eye was swollen shut, cheek was swollen as well, her cupid's bow covered in blood from her nose, and her lip was split wide open causing her chin to be bloody as well. She turned her head up, looking at the deep bruising on her neck from being choked. Fighting back the tears gathered behind her eyes, she dug around for her phone, flipping it open and scrolling through her contacts, questioning who she should call. After scrolling through the list of names twice, she closed the phone and stuffed it back into her pocket, then began trying to drag herself back to her room, whimpering and crying the entire way.

When she finally made it back to her room, she collapsed on to the bed, coughing and spitting up blood onto the floor. One of her roommates, Charlotte was sitting in her own bed across from her. After seeing JT fall into the bed she got up and tried to help her, but was pushed away by JT

"Get away from me" she rasped

Charlotte stood there "I heard what the others did to you. Everyone's talking about it"

"So? That supposed to mean something?"

"I'm sorry"

"Your sorry doesn't mean shit to me"

"It's every woman for herself in here Judas. If I stuck my neck out for you we'd both be hurt. Most of the girls in here have no problem throwing someone else under the bus"

"Do you have a point? Or are we just chatting?"

Charlotte went into her dresser drawer and pulled out a box and a bottle of water, bringing it back to JT.

"It's the morning after pill. I have a small stash, you know, in case…" she trailed off "Think you can take it?"

JT nodded and took the water bottle and the pill she was handed, letting a bit of water sit in her mouth and dropping the pill in, swallowing quickly and trying for more water since she had a hard time swallowing the pill.

"Thanks," she told Charlotte

"No problem. What are you going to do now?" she asked

"I don't know. He already…this is fucked"

"Well, uh, I'm going to get ready for school"

JT groaned "Think you can score my work for me? I can't go like this"

Charlotte nodded and left the room.

When she was sure Charlotte was gone, she pulled the phone out again, sending a text to Gemma and seeing one from Marcus.

 _To: Gemma_

 _From: JT_

 _Got locked down at the home. Be there first chance I get._

She hit send then opened the one from Marcus, reading that Esai was killed the day before and SOA and Mayans had a truce. She was sad about Esai but understood that he was reckless and a bit of a liability. A minute later she received a reply from Gemma

 _To: JT_

 _From: Gemma_

 _You should've tried to call. Are you ok?_

 _To: Gemma_

 _From: JT_

 _All good_

After sending the message she hid the phone again and moved so that her back was pressed against the wall and let herself fall out of consciousness again, the pain becoming too much for her. She spent the rest of that day in and out of sleep, Charlotte returning from school with her work which she tried to do. The next two days after that she was in bed, doing the work Charlotte brought her and avoiding the other girls and Harvey. But, she wasn't able to avoid them forever. She got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, assuming everyone was asleep, creeping down the hall. She went inside and did her business and when she went to open the door she was knocked backward, the same girls pouncing on her and beating her again.

"Can't hide in your room forever. Your dues are up again, time to pay bitch"

They didn't beat her as badly this time, instead, they got her so she was too weak to fight back and left her for Harvey to find. This time when he wandered into the bathroom, JT was trying to pick herself up and get away. He knocked her back down and held her down with one arm, taking her pants off with the other. She tried to fight him off, but couldn't, opting to close her eyes and scream instead.

* * *

After he was done and gone, JT laid on the floor, crying in pain. She felt like she couldn't move, the shock consuming her until the fear took over when she heard more footsteps. She thought it was Harvey coming back, but it was the girls who had jumped her coming back for more.

"Stop. Please, just stop" JT mumbled

"You need to learn to take your dues and not scream" she replied "Get her down"

It didn't take much to subdue JT, a few hits with the battery socks and they had her pinned. One of the girls came into the bathroom carrying a large jug, handing it to the leader. She opened it and ordered them to hold JT's mouth open, forcing the liquid into her mouth and down her throat. Realizing they were forcing her to drink bleach, and she started trying to thrash her head to stop herself from drinking, but they held her still. Finally, they stopped pouring, throwing the bottle to the ground

"Damn, she almost drank the whole thing" one girl commented

"Let's get outta here," said another

The all left the bathroom, leaving JT coughing, gagging and vomiting on the floor. Knowing she would die if she didn't get help, she started to drag herself out of the bathroom and down the stairs. It took forever just to get to the stairs, but she was able to roll down them, landing in front of the door. She couldn't reach the doorknob to open it without throwing up some more, but she was able to get herself outside, the cold air causing her to cough more violently. She got off the property, staggering, and holding onto anything she could stay upright. She wasn't sure how long it had been but eventually, she made it to a crossroad, a police car sitting at the stop light in front of her.

* * *

Hale had seen the bloody girl, trying to walk up the road, her hacking cough getting his attention. He got out of his car and made his way toward her, one hand on his gun in case she got violent when she suddenly collapsed to the ground. He broke into a run, diving to his knees next to her, recognizing Judas Teller. She was choking, so he turned her on her side and blood and vomit spurted from her mouth

"This is Deputy Hale, send me EMS to the crossroad of Main St and Park Drive. I have a female, teenage, having some sort of reaction to something and she's beaten pretty badly" he called into the radio "Judas? Can you hear me?"

She made a noise in reply

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Her throat burned every time she opened her mouth, so she motioned with her hand to write and he handed her a pen and paper. On the paper, she wrote three words before going into shock ' _Forced Drink Bleach'_

"She's going into shock. Get me that ambulance" Hale screamed into the radio

The teen had gone still by the time the ambulance showed up, the medics working to get her stable while Hale followed behind them.

* * *

It was nearly 3 am when Gemma woke up to her doorbell ringing and several hard knocks on the door. Clay reached for his gun and got up, motioning for Gemma to stay there, but she didn't listen, following a few paces behind her husband. He peeked through the window and looked back at his wife, hiding the gun in the drawer

"Hale," he told her

"What's he doing here?" she questioned

Clay shrugged and opened the door

"Clay, Gemma, I'm sorry to wake you. I tried to find Jax but didn't know where he was" Hale explained

"What's going on?" Gemma questioned

"It's Judas. She's at St. Thomas in the ICU. You should come" he answered

"I'll call Jax," Clay told her

"Wait, wait, I just talked to her the other day she was fine. What happened?"

Hale hesitated and Gemma gave him a glare "I found Judas wandering near main. She was covered in blood and bruised and coughing. She collapsed before I could get to her, she was choking on her own vomit. I asked her what happened and she wrote down 'Forced. Drink. Bleach' before she went into shock. The rest I think you should hear from the doctors"

"Jax is on his way there. Come on, baby" Clay said, coming back into the room fully dressed. Gemma nodded and left to put her clothes on so they could leave as soon as possible.

* * *

Jax was already at the hospital with the other members when Gemma and Clay arrived, pacing the floors restlessly

"Hey baby" Gemma greeted, hugging her son "What did they say?"

"They haven't told me anything yet. Just told me to wait" Jax replied

"Hale told me that he found her near main covered in blood. Collapsed and started choking on her own vomit. She told him someone forced her to drink bleach" Gemma explained

"Jesus Christ. Someone at the group home?"

"Didn't say. Only said three words. But I think so"

"This is all my fault"

"You didn't know this was going to happen"

"She said group homes were dangerous. The girls would attack each other. She knew this would happen"

"I'm still missing how this is on you"

"Because" he snapped "If I just put her with me in the first place she wouldn't be here"

"Family of Judas Teller?" called a doctor

Jax went to her followed by Gemma "I'm her father. What happened?"

"Judas was beaten, several times over the course of a few days. I found bruising that's at least a few days old, and she's got a few cracked ribs. Unfortunately, we also found evidence of sexual assault. Your daughter forcibly ingested bleach and she damaged her throat and stomach severely along with her lungs. We've intubated her for now, and we'll reassess her when she wakes up."

Jax couldn't catch his breath, "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean when she wakes up?"

"She's sedated. A tube is breathing for her until her lungs can heal" the doctor explained softly

"Can we see her?" Gemma asked

"Of course. Give us a moment and a nurse will bring you back to her" the doctor answered before walking away.

Everyone felt the tension in the room after the doctor left, Gemma sitting down and wiping tears from her face before anyone could see. Jax stood frozen, tears running down his face and his fist clenched

"Jackie boy?" Chibs questioned

Jax turned to them, letting out a ragged breath

"Mr. Teller? You can come back now" called a nurse

Jax, Gemma, and Clay followed the nurse into the ICU where they stopped in front of the room labeled with JT's name.

"Before I let you in, I should warn you, it's a bit of a shock" the nurse warned

Jax nodded and went into the room, his heart stopping at the sight of his daughter on the bed, her skin different colors and a tube coming from her mouth. He fell into the chair beside her bed, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his face

"How long will she be like this?" Gemma asked the nurse

"We don't know. It could be days, weeks, maybe even months" she answered, leaving the family alone.


	6. Chapter 6

For the next several weeks, the chair beside JT's bed was occupied by Jax, or Gemma when club business pulled him away, both of them waiting for any sign that JT was going to wake up. With Jax trying to split time between JT, and Abel (who needed a second surgery), things were a bit tense with the club, his head almost never being there and Clay beginning to get annoyed. Things started to change, however, when Rosen showed up while Jax, Gemma, and Clay were all waiting for an update from the doctors.

"I have some good news for you guys. Figured you wouldn't want to wait" he told the family

"What is it?" Gemma questioned

"The courts granted you guys custody. On paper, it states that custody is shared between Jax and Gemma. So as soon as she's able you'll have no problems taking her home" Rosen answered

Jax nodded and thanked him, Gemma and Clay taking Rosen and going into the hallway. Jax grabbed his daughter's hand again and leaned his head close to hers,

"You hear that sweetheart?" he whispered, "No more foster homes. You're going to be home with your family where you belong."

He thought he saw something glisten near her eyes, so he pulled his head back and looked at her, seeing tears running down her face. Shocked, he pressed the call button for the nurse, hoping that it meant his daughter was waking up. The nurse ran into the room, followed by Gemma and Clay

"What's going on?" the nurse questioned

"I think she's trying to wake up" Jax explained, "I mean, look at her, she's crying"

The nurse checked her vitals and grabbed JT's hand "Jude? Jude if you can hear me squeeze my hand."

They all waited and watched but JT didn't move at all, save for the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

The nurse sighed and let go of her hand "I'm sorry, Mr. Teller. What you saw was a neurological reaction, not your daughter. I'm sorry, but nothing's changed"

Defeated, Jax sank back into the chair, praying for her to wake up.

* * *

A few days later, Ray came to the hospital to visit, his first time seeing JT since she was kicked out of their home. Gemma was the only one in the room when he walked in. When she saw him she was shocked, wondering why he was there.

"How is she?" he asked awkwardly

"No change. Your mothers know you're here?" she replied

Ray nodded "Well, it's just Destiny now. Lena moved out"

"What about your other siblings?"

"Nick moved in with his dad, my sister went with Lena, and everyone else stayed with Destiny"

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm surprised you let your sister go off without you"

"I'm not...sorry. We had a difference of opinion, she thought what Lena did to Jude was right"

"And you didn't"

Ray nodded and Gemma got the idea that it was more than right and wrong that kept the teen from going with his sister. After watching him stare at her granddaughter for several minutes, she finally figured out the real reason he stuck around.

"How long have you liked her?" Gemma questioned the teen

"A few weeks before she moved in with us. I met her on a beach in Oceanside and we hit it off. I didn't see her again until Destiny brought her to live with us, but by then we were foster siblings, so there was nothing I could do"

"I don't get it"

"When you're in the system, they don't allow you to have affairs or a relationship with your foster siblings because they teach you to act like real siblings for when you get adopted"

"Well, Jax has custody now. So no more foster siblings"

"We'll see what happens"

Gemma smirked and Ray sat down, watching the monitors, waiting for a change.

* * *

It wasn't for another two weeks that JT woke up. Jax was visiting Gemma and Abel when they heard an alarm over the intercom

 _ **Assistance required ICU, 5. Assistance required ICU, 5**_

"Isn't that JT's room?" Gemma inquired

Jax nodded and the pair of them left Abel's room in a sprint, skidding to a halt just outside the room. Inside, they could see JT thrashing around, the nurses trying to hold her down to remove the tube from her throat

"Jude!" he called out

"Sir, you need to step back," one of the nurses told him

Finally, they were able to get the tube out and they examined her once again, getting her to try and talk. But, instead of starting with a normal tone of voice, JT saw Jax in the hallway and called out to him, her voice cracking and breaking

"Dad! Dad!" she cried out

Jax didn't care what the nurses said, his daughter needed him and no one was going to stop him from getting to her. He moved passed the nurses and went to her, leaning down to hold her. JT threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. The nurses were able to finish their exam but only if Gemma stayed with JT.

"So what now?" Gemma questioned the doctor

"Her wounds are mostly healed. Her voice will come back slowly, but there's the possibility that it will sound broken permanently. As for her stomach, the MRI and CAT scans look good but we're going to wean her back on solid food slowly"  
"So then, that means she's still going to be here?" Jax asked

"We'll move her into a different room, but she'll have to be here for at least another week before we let her go home" the doctor answered, then left to go to her next patient.

"This is a good thing, Jax," Gemma told her son

He nodded "I know. I'm going to talk to her"

They went back inside, Gemma on a nearby chair and Jax sitting on the foot of her bed

"How're you feeling?" he asked, stroking her hair

"My throat hurts. The nurse said the meds should kick in soon" she answered, her voice cracking with every syllable

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

Her eyes filled with tears "I don't want to talk about it"

"Jude, sweetheart, please. I need to know who did it so the club can take care of them"

"Has anyone else been by?" she asked, ignoring his question

"Pretty much everyone from the club, Ray, and Destiny has come to see you," Gemma told her

JT nodded and rolled onto her side, her back facing her father and grandmother.

* * *

"I heard JT woke up," Tig said as Jax walked into the chapel

"Yeah. Docs say her voice might be screwed up permanently. And they want to keep her for at least another week, try and get her back into eating solid foods" he explained

"She tell you who did it?" asked Opie

"No. She said she didn't want to talk about it and I didn't want to push her" Jax answered

"I can try and talk to her" suggested Juice "See if she'll tell me"

Jax looked at Chibs and Clay who both nodded

"Ok. See what she'll tell you and I want Ope and Chibs on standby. You three are the ones she trusts the most" Jax decided

The three men nodded and Clay spoke up

"When we find the son of a bitch that hurt our family….you need to have a plan of what you're going to do to him" Clay stated

"Happy. That's my plan"

Clay nodded and banged the gavel, Bobby leaving to make the call and Juice, Chibs, and Opie going to the hospital.

* * *

At the hospital, Juice decided to try and go first, but she sent him away. Then Opie tried, but she wouldn't talk to him either. By the time Chibs went to talk to her, she was annoyed at all of the men.

"If you're going to try and talk to me about what happened just forget it" she snapped

"Good, then I'm just going to talk to you," he said, groaning a bit while he sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair. He noticed the GameBoy next to her on the bed "Juicy boy give you that?"

"Yeah. He said it'll keep me occupied for a few days till I get to go home"

"That's a day we're all looking forward to"

JT smiled a bit and sat up more "Tell me about it. Gemma's already talking about setting up my room at dad's place"

"I'd be careful or she'll go totally overboard" he chuckled

Her smile began to fade, "Jax called Happy didn't he"

"Aye, he did" Chibs replied "He wants that bastard to pay for what he did to you"

"It wasn't just him" she whispered

"What are you talking about?"

"Harvey...the caretaker for the house...he was the one who raped me, I got away the first time he tried it, but the other girls in the house didn't like that so they jumped me. Hit me, choked me, beat me with socks full of batteries and left me unconscious on the floor. When I woke up the next day my pants were off and there was...blood on my legs and I could barely move. I figured out pretty quick what happened. Then, like three days later they beat me again and I was barely conscious, but I was awake enough to try and fight him off. They weren't happy with me fighting back, so they beat on me with the battery socks, held me down, said that this would teach me not to scream...they grabbed a bottle of bleach and started pouring it down my throat, making me drink it. I tried to move so it spilled but they held me still. When they were done, one of them said that I drank almost the whole bottle. I tried to crawl away, managed to fall down the stairs and end up at the front door. After I finally managed to get it open I just remember puking and coughing and blood all over me...I saw the car up the road and next thing I know I'm on the ground and Hale's next to me...that's all I remember"

When she finished telling her story, she's crying and Chibs has tears in his eyes. He holds her hand and gives her a reassuring squeeze

"Do you know any of the girls that attacked you?"

"No. I didn't know everyone's name and I could barely see their faces. They wouldn't have touched me if it wasn't for Harvey"

"You never have to worry about him again"

"Thanks"

He kissed the side of her head and promised to see her later. He left the room and joined Juice and Opie "Church. Now."

* * *

Once everyone gathered back at the chapel, Happy included, Chibs repeated what JT had told him, making Jax cry.

"That bastard needs to die. Like a lot" rasped Happy

"Understatement of the year" replied Tig

"What's the plan, Jax?" Bobby inquired

Jax looked up, tears still running down his face "I'm going to pour bleach down his Goddamned throat. Then let Happy take care of the rest"

"Oh, yes I will" Happy agreed

"And after?" Piney asked

"I'm going to sit with my kids" Jax answered

"Let's do it then" Clay finalized, slamming the gavel down.

Jax, Juice, Happy, Tig, and Chibs grabbed Harvey from the group home in the middle of the night, bringing him to the now closed up garage. The tied his arms up with chains and forced him to his knees. Jax punched him a few times, the other man crying and begging for him to stop

"What do you want from me?" he blubbered

"You…" Jax said dangerously "You rape my daughter, get her beaten and make the others force bleach down her throat. The only thing I want is to hear you say it"

"Please. Please. I didn't hurt anyone"

Happy struck the man in the head

"Say it!" Jax shouted, hitting him again

"Ok, ok. That little slut...she came onto me, man. I'm telling you the truth"

Jax saw red and started hitting the man with a wrench he picked up until Chibs pulled him back

"Ok...Ok I did it" Harvey gurgled, "Just please, please stop"

Now Juice was angry

"Did you stop?" he asked lowly

"Juicy boy" Chibs warned

Juice ignored him a went closer to him, holding a bottle of bleach, "When she begged you to stop, did you listen? No. No, you didn't"

He opened up the bottle and looked at Jax who nodded at him. Tig held the man's head back and forced his mouth open, Juice pouring the clear liquid down his throat. Harvey began to choke and thrash his head, trying to spit the liquid out, but only succeeded in getting some in his eyes, causing him to try and scream, only to choke even more. After a few minutes, he stopped moving and slumped over.

"Is he dead?" asked Tig

Juice kicked him in the gut "I think so"

Chibs had let go of Jax, who turned to Happy

"Hap...rip him apart and get rid of the body. Tig, I want you and Juice to help him. If he is alive, let him hurt" He ordered

All the men agreed and got to work, Jax getting on his bike and going to see his kids. He stopped by to see Abel first, who was already sleeping, then went to see Jude, who was watching a movie on the tv.

"Did you kill him?" she asked when she saw him walk in and close the door

"You don't have to worry about that anymore," he told her, pushing her hair back. "You're safe now and I will never let anyone hurt you again"

She nodded and moved over more so that he could lay down with her, her head resting on his arm and their heads touching. That night JT slept through the night with very few nightmares and Jax figured out that he never wanted to live another day without his children.

 **A/N: Apologies for the long wait on this chapter, I've hit a bit of a roadblock with the stories of JT but I'll do my best to update more.**


	7. Chapter 7

The day JT was set to go home, she was sitting restlessly in the hospital bed, waiting for her dad or Gemma to pick her up. She had taken to calling Jax 'dad' more often but still called Gemma by her name since it felt weird to call her 'grandma' or anything of the sort. A few of the nurses chastised her for goofing around and leaving her room to see Abel, but she couldn't help it...she was just bored. After being brought back to her room again, she saw a familiar woman in a suit standing in next to her bed, flipping through her books,

"Can I help you?" she asked

"Must not be too fun spending your time in here." the woman said

"What do you think? Now, who are you and what do you want?"

"Agent June Stahl ATF. I heard about your assault and I'd like to tell you how sorry I am that happened to you"

"I don't need your pity" JT spat

"Well maybe then you can tell me a few things about your father and his club"

JT scoffed

"What do you know about illegal activity in the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club?"

"Nothing. They're a bunch of Harley lovers, some of them served and they fix cars for a living. That's it"

"You know, Jax may have just gotten custody but I can easily get that taken away and get you put back into a group home. Now we don't want that do we?"

"You vindictive bitch. Read my lips. THEY. DON'T. DO. ANYTHING. ILLEGAL. Understand? Now get the hell out" Jude yelled, sending herself into a coughing fit.

A nurse heard her coughs and came in, ordering the agent out and handing an inhaler to the teen, trying to get her to calm down.

* * *

When Jax finally came around to pick her up he found his daughter sitting on the bed and bouncing her knee, a tic she had when she was nervous.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked

"ATF came to see me today" she answered

"You too?"

"What do you mean 'Me too?'"

"They were asking Tara questions too. I passed by them in the hall going to see Abel before I came here"

"Well, she was doing more than asking questions, Dad. She was making threats"

"What do you mean?"

"She said that she could get custody taken away from you easy and get me put back into another group home"

"Hey, listen to me. It's an empty threat to try and scare you. They have to right or reason to revoke custody"

"Well, it worked because I'm pretty damn scared. I don't want to go back"

She started to cry again so Jax pulled her into his arms and hugged her, letting her know that it was ok. He kissed her head and held her so that he was looking at her

"Let's get your stuff and go home. Ok?" he told her

She nodded "Ok. Yeah."

They began to gather her clothes and the few games and toys she was brought during her stay in the hospital and put them into a duffel and a backpack when something occurred to her,

"Um, dad?" she asked

"Hmm?" he replied absently

"If the house is still undergoing repair, where am I gonna stay?"

"Uh, for now, Gemma has the guest room set up for you. She said that, that room is yours whenever you stay at the house. And once the repairs are done we'll move you back home with me and Abel"

"She's throwing a party isn't she?"

"Nah, she knows you don't want to make a big deal out of it, so it's just a dinner"

JT nodded and zipped the bag closed

"Ready to go?" Jax asked her

She nodded and he slung his arm over her shoulder, the father and daughter walking out of the hospital.

* * *

Jax dropped JT off at Gemma's so she could settle in, then he headed for church, pissed that this ATF bitch was messing with his kid.

"They got Luann on drug charges. Cherry on theft and Arson" says Clay

"They also got JT scared shitless," Jax tells them

"What are you talking about?" Clay asks

"Stahl went to see JT in the hospital, tried asking her questions and when she didn't get the answers she wanted, she started threating to have JT put back into the group home" Jax answered

"You think she'll rat?" Half-Sac questioned

"No, moron," Jax said, smacking him in the head

"JT would go back to the home before she'd ever rat" Tig stated

"I'm not worried about her ratting. My kid's been through enough shit without this ATF bitch piling more shit on. Kid deserves a break"

Clay sighed "I just don't understand any of this"

* * *

Meanwhile, at Gemma's house, JT and Gemma unpacked JT's things, the clothes going into laundry baskets to be washed.

"We should take you shopping, get you some new clothes," Gemma told the teen

"I don't need new clothes Gem. I have clothes" JT replied

"Not enough for my house and your dad's"

JT rolled her eyes

"You know, any other teenager would be over the moon at the offer to go shopping"

"I would be too. If I were shopping for car parts or something. I've never been too much of a clothes girl"

"Well, that is going to change. I'm going to teach you how to dress like a future old lady"

"Gemma…"

"I'm not saying a full change. Just a little at a time. Some new clothes, shoes, makeup. You can still be a tomboy"

"That sounds like a big change to me. And how am I going to be a tomboy dressed like a princess?"

"Not a princess, more like me. It's simple, you come in all pretty and show them how to fix a car. They'll never see it coming"

"You know you scare me sometimes"

Gemma smiled and took the laundry down to be washed.

Later on that night, JT sat up trying to do her homework since she was set to go back to school the day after next. A knock on the door caused her to look up, seeing Clay in the doorway

"Hey" she greeted

"How're you settling in?" he asked

"Good. Thanks"

He nodded "Jax told us about what happened with Stahl earlier"

"I'd never tell her anything"

"I know, I know. But I want you to know that she's not going to take you away from us. You're family and no one hurts our family"

JT nodded "Thank you" she whispered

"You should get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow"

"Yeah. Goodnight"

"Goodnight"

After Clay left and shut the door behind him, JT changed into her pajamas and took some of her pain medication and got into bed, letting the medication pull her into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next day JT joined Gemma and the club at the cabin to see off Cherry and the Irishman. While Cherry and Half-Sac were busy in the bedroom and Tara was checking Cameron's bandages, JT wandered around outside until she heard Jax call for her. She came back to the cabin and found him standing on the porch.

"Having fun out there?" he asked with a smirk

"Oh yeah. What's up?"

"How'd you sleep last night?"

"I'm not going to lie, I took my pain meds to sleep and only slept a few hours"

"I'm sorry, kid"

"None of this is your fault"

Jax opened his mouth to reply but closed it, changing his mind. Gemma came outside with the boys and Cherry

"We're ready," she told them

Happy helped Cameron into the truck first, then Cherry before getting in himself. Everyone else, except for Tara, Gemma, and JT, got on their bikes and rode off behind the truck.

* * *

That night after the club business was taken care of, everyone met up back at the clubhouse, JT joining Tig in a game of pool when Clay came out from the chapel

"Yeah...No, me too. A'ight, thanks Jason" he said into his phone, then hung up

"Rosen?" asked Gemma

"Yeah, Luann's in the clear...Otto not so much" he told them

"What happened?" JT inquired

Clay chuckled "He shattered Stahl's face"

Everyone laughed

"Oh, I love the man!" declared Tig

"He was trying to prove to the club that he wasn't going to give anything up. We're free of the ATF ladies and germs!"

JT breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the game. She vaguely overheard Gemma's conversation with Clay since her name was mentioned, then all hell broke loose.

"Clay!" Juice exclaimed, standing up and closing his laptop, "Cops!"

JT dropped the pool stick and ran over to Gemma just as the cops burst through the door, bringing everyone to the ground. She looked at the door and saw Stahl walking in with her face all messed up.

"Robert Munson, you're under arrest for the murder of Brenan Hefner," said one of the cops

"Who?" replied Bobby

The cop started escorting Bobby out while reading him his rights

"I'll call Rosen, Bobby you just sit tight," said Clay, earning him a kick to the ribs

"Hey! Bitch!" Gemma spat, getting kicked by Stahl

"Manners, darling. Manners" Stahl mocked

As the agent went to walk away, JT grabbed her leg and pulled, making her fall face first onto the ground.

"Oops" JT smirked

Stahl got up and hauled JT to her feet "Judas Teller, you're under arrest for aiding and abetting the escape of inmate Vincent Riley"

"Fuck" JT exclaimed, locking eyes with Jax and shaking her head.

* * *

"They got Bobby down at Federal Plaza in Stockton and JT in Charming PD. ATF says they got a witness that saw Bobby kill Hefner"

"Jax, is that possible?" asked Tig

"From my end, it was all clear. Shit has to be a bluff. What do we do about my kid?" Jax answered

"They can't charge somebody on a bluff. Whatever they got, it's real. And JT's going to have to go on the back burner for now. Bobby takes priority"

"So, who's the bastard witness?" questioned Chibs

Everyone was quiet, not wanting to object about JT and not wanting to mention the fact that Opie wasn't there.

"We're a man short" Clay finally stated

"I called every number, even Donna. No answers" Juice told them

"Maybe Donna changed the goddamn home phone" Piney bellowed

"All right, all right, I'll go get him," Jax says, trying to calm him

"You'd better find him" Tig mutters

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only two other guys were witness to that hit. One of them's in jail and the other one-"

"Hey, don't even say it, asshole!"

"You better curb your disrespect!"

The two began to fight, being pulled back by other members of the club

"Hey! Hey!" Clay shouted "Everybody's nerves are fried. We got two of our own in cuffs, but we can't unravel here. Now, Jax is going to get Ope and bring him back here and we're going to find out what's what"

"The only reason my son's not here is because he doesn't know what happened," said Piney, slamming his oxygen tank on the table

"Exactly" Jax agreed, heading out the door

* * *

At Charming PD, Stahl was trying to get JT to talk about Vince, but she wasn't giving too much information.

"I have call records that say Vincent called you three days before his escape," she tells JT

"He called me in the hospital. Said he heard what happened and wanted to see if I was ok" JT answers

"And you told him?"

"'Course I did"

"And you told him the truth about what you went through?"

"I don't lie to my brother"

"But you do lie for him. Right?"

JT didn't reply

"You knew he was planning on breaking out and you helped him do it"

"How did I do that from here when he was in Georgia? Besides, before that phone call, I haven't seen or talked to my brother since I left home"

"Haven't you? In all your moving around, you didn't keep in touch?"

"I had bigger things to worry about. Now am I being charged? If I am, I want my lawyer and my dad. If not, I'd like to go. It's late and I have school tomorrow"

"Oh, sweetheart. We're just getting started" Stahl said maliciously


	8. Chapter 8

In the meantime of dealing with the Opie situation, Jax went to Charming PD and picked up JT and brought her to Gemma's, barely saying a word to her. She didn't say much to Gemma either, just went into her bedroom and tried to get some sleep before school the next day, but was only able to toss and turn in bed, Stahl's threats replaying over and over again in her head and now she wondered if her father was angry with her because of her arrest.

The next morning, JT got up from finally falling asleep and got dressed, grabbing her bag and heading into the kitchen. Gemma was wide awake and making breakfast when JT entered the kitchen.

"Morning" Gemma greeted, pouring some juice in a cup

"Morning. You do all this?" JT asked, referring to all the food on the table

"Of course. You need energy for your first day back at school"

"I know I'm going to sound like an asshole by saying this but, do you do anything in moderation?"

"When it comes to my family, no. Now sit down and eat something"

JT sat and took a bit of everything to make her grandmother happy

"You think dad's mad at me?" she asked

"For what?"

"Because of last night. He barely said two words to me when he came to pick me up"

"Oh, sweetheart your father isn't mad at you he's got a lot on his plate right now. And let's not forget how clueless that man can be"

"You got that right"

A knock on the door diverted both their attentions. Gemma went to open the door, revealing Ray on the other side. Gemma ushered him in and made him a plate, which he happily accepted

"What are you doing here?" JT questioned

"Well, since it's your first day back at school I figured, if you weren't too cool for it, we could walk to school together" he answered

"Since when am I too cool to walk to school with my best friend? Besides, my car is technically out of commission until either ATF disappears or I turn 16"

"Good so we'll be walking then"

"Speaking of which, you live on the other side of town. What are you doing walking all the way over here just to walk with me to school?"

"Oh, uh, why not, you know. I need someone to go with, going alone really sucks"

"What about the others?"

"Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"After Lena kicked you out, moms split up. Lena left with Arabella, Nick moved in with his dad and the rest of us stayed. But Jayme's been hanging with a rough crowd and I'm not really about it."

"Goddamn. What about Jude?"

"He's been upset up he'll be ok. He just doesn't understand what happened"

JT frowned and stopped picking at her food

"You two should get going" Gemma suddenly interrupted

JT grabbed her bag and the two teens set out and began their walk toward the school together.

* * *

As the day went on, JT's teachers had been giving her a pitiful look all day as they handed her the work she needed to catch up in her classes and she was beginning to remember why she hated small towns. News traveled fast and everyone knew everyone's business. By the time lunch came around, JT was ready to ditch school and head either back to Gemma's or to the shop. But with ATF on her back, she didn't want to give them a reason to take her away from Jax.

"I'm so ready to get the hell out of here" she declared with a sigh as she plopped down at the lunch table

"It can't be that bad," said Sam

"If you saw the way the teachers were looking at her, it is that bad" Ray replied

"Let me guess the 'I know all of your business and I'm judging you for it' look?" asked Drew

"Mixed with pity" agreed JT

"Oooh," Lucky said with a wince

"And if it's not the teachers it's the gossipy girls" JT seethed "Jayme isn't helping by talking with them"

"I told you she was running with a bad crowd" Ray reminded her

"Yeah, but I didn't think it was the gossiping, party girls that get drunk and high in the bathrooms"

Ray cocked an eyebrow at her and she raised her hands defensively "Just saying"

"Look Jayme may be in with that crowd and all now but that's not her. She wouldn't start doing that shit, not after all she went through"

"I'm not saying she-"

"No, but you're implying it and I don't want to hear it"

Huffing, JT got up from the table and left the cafeteria, going to the payphone in the hallway and dialing a number from a slip of paper in her bag

"Hello?" she asked

" _Hello?" the voice replied_

"V, hey, it's me"

" _Hey, how are you? Are you ok?"_

"I'm fine, I'm at school. Are you ok? I don't think I can ask you where you are"

" _I can't tell you yet, I'm still on the move. But I met some guys that are going to help me out"_

"What guys? V you have to be careful ATF already pulled me in for questioning about you"

" _Russians, it's nothing to worry about. ATF? What did you say?"_

"Nothing, obviously. I'm not stupid"

" _I know. I know. I did this so that I could take care of you. No more hopping around homes and getting hurt. I don't need to get caught"_

"No, you don't. And I don't need you to take care of me. I got my dad now and his family"

" _What so now you don't need me anymore?"_

"What? V, no that's not-"

" _No, I get it. You got this nice new family so to hell with me and all I done for you"_

"Vince-"

The line went dead as he hung up and JT grew frustrated pounding her fist against the wall a few times before grabbing her bag and taking off for the hospital, wanting to see Abel.

* * *

When she got to the hospital she went right up to Abel's room and right away she spotted Wendy holding Abel with Tara nearby.

"What the hell" JT demanded, bursting into the room

"JT what are you doing here?" Wendy asked, "I was just-"

"Save it. I'm telling Gemma that you're here because I know you're not supposed to be"

"She just wanted to see him before she went into her sober living house," Tara told the teen

"So? She almost killed him. She doesn't deserve to see him, especially without dad or Gemma knowing" JT snapped

"Dad? Jax is your father?" Wendy stuttered

"Surprise"

"Ok, ok. I'll call Jax and wait for him to say I can see Abel"

JT nodded and followed Wendy out of the room.

A little while later, Jax showed up at the hospital, surprised to see his ex-wife and daughter sitting in the waiting room together

"JT what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in school"

"I left"

"Why?"

"I can't deal with that place. Those people. I don't want to go back"

"We'll talk about this after. Wendy called about seeing the baby"

"I know"

He greeted Wendy and led her toward Abel's room

"Shit. Jax, I already saw him. JT saw me with him and had me call you"

Jax chuckled "It's alright. Do you want to see him again?"

"I really do"

The three of them went back into the nursery and while Wendy held Abel JT made faces at him and Jax looked on with a smile on his face. From the other side of the wall, Tara watched with jealousy and Gemma watched her a plan formulating to get rid of the doctor.

"You got someplace to stay?" Jax asked Wendy

"Ramada" she answered, "Gotta stay away from all my old friends, you know?"

"Yeah. We changed the locks at the house"

"Oh, yeah, I know. The back door was open and I left my bags in there"

"Well we're not in there yet, so if you want to stay there until you check in..."

"What about Gemma? And I'm pretty sure your kid doesn't like me very much"

Jax looked at JT who shrugged "Yeah, good point. Ramada's probably safer"

"Mm-hmm"

Jax bent down in front of the chair and hugged JT's legs with one arm and hung the other over the arm of the chair next to Abel, smiling at Wendy and the baby.

* * *

JT didn't get to talk to Jax for the rest of the day, spending time with Gemma running errands and getting things ready for when Abel came home. They went back to the house to find Wendy in the kitchen,

"Jax said it was ok if I stayed here," she told them

"I know" JT replied

"Yeah. It is" Gemma said

"Ok"

JT sat down in a chair while Gemma pawed through the bags of groceries

"Sit down," she told Wendy

Wendy was hesitant to move at first but eventually sat in the chair across from JT

"How much time you got?" Gemma asked

"64 days" Wendy answered, "I'm not gonna make any promises this time. I guess we'll just see what happens"

"You know Abel comes home tomorrow" JT mentioned

"I know. He's a lucky kid" Wendy nodded, "He's got crazy-fierce grandma looking after him"

"Yeah, and his psycho protective big sister" Gemma agreed

JT smirked

"I'm not seeking custody, Gemma. I just went by there because I wanted to see him and just say sorry for what I did"

"Amends," said JT

"Yeah"

Gemma sighed "Well, I guess I...guess I owe you some. Shit I did to you. All a reaction to him almost dying"

"I know"

"We all pulled through"

"I guess we did"

Gemma sighed again and pulled a chair out, sitting next to Wendy

"Do you still love Jax?" She asked

"Sure I-I guess" Wendy replied

"No. It's not a guess. He's still your husband, father of your child. Do you love him?"  
"Yeah"

JT suddenly got a lot more interested in the conversation, wondering what Gemma was playing at

"Do you want this family back together?"

"I-I don't know if I'm ready for that"

"When you're ready...you want this family back?"

"It's the only thing I want" Wendy admitted

"Abel needs his mom. Jax needs his wife. You stay clean, pull your shit together, I will do whatever I can to help make that happen" Gemma then grabbed Wendy's face and kissed her on the lips "You get some sleep. Come on, baby. Let's go home"

JT got up and followed Gemma out the door and into the car

"What was that?" she asked her grandmother

"What was what?"

"That with Wendy in there. You forgive her for what she did to Abel? Want her to get back with Jax?"

"No baby, I'm protecting Jax and you and your brother"

"How? By giving Wendy false hope that shit's going to go back to the way it was?"

"Don't you worry about it. I'll be taking care of her"

"And Tara?"

"Tara?"

"I know this has something to do with her rubbing up on Jax"

"It's nothing you need to worry about. Now, what are we doing with you and school?"

"I really don't want to go back there. I got no backup and all these bastards do is talk about the shit that happened to me"

"What about Ray?"

"We got into it. I don't think he's got my back anymore"

"Jude listen to me, you and Ray aren't going to fall out over one fight. You telling me that if something happened to him you wouldn't help him out?"

JT shifted in her seat "No. I'd still have his back"

"And he's got yours even if you two are having petty little fights. And what about that goth kid and his brother? They're indebted to you"

"Our fight wasn't exactly petty. And Sam and Drew don't owe me anything"

"You saved that kid's ass. He owes you. What was the fight about?"

"Jayme's been hanging out with these girls that drink and do drugs in the bathrooms and shit and I may or may not have insinuated that she was using too and he got pissed"

"He'll get over it. He probably got mad because he knows it's true"

"Yeah well I was getting it from all sides today and I didn't want to deal with it"

"From all sides?"

"Yeah. Not just Ray"

"Who are we talking about?"

"Can't tell you"

"Well, what did this person say?"

"Can't tell you"

Gemma gave her a look as she pulled the car into the driveway

"What's your take on this? What should I do?" JT asked

"Go back. Show them you aren't intimidated by what they say. You're a Teller. Tellers don't run away from their problems"

"Jax did"

"Your father is an idiot. And he's owning up to his shit"

"So what I'm hearing is that I need to go back and own the shit they're saying about me"

Gemma nodded "Just like a queen baby"

JT sighed and leaned against the doorframe "Then I guess I should do my homework"

She launched herself off of the doorframe and went to her room, pulling out her work while Gemma watched over her, wondering what secrets her granddaughter was keeping.

 **A/N: This story LIVESSS! JT is back and so is my inspiration for the story so let me know what you guys think!**


	9. Chapter 9

The next day JT woke up and went to school holding her head high. She sought out Ray, finding him with Lucky and a senior she didn't know. She greeted Lucky and turned to Ray

"You still pissed at me?" she asked

He sighed, "No. You're probably right, which is why I got so pissed"

"I know I'm right. But I get why you were mad. So we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool"

"Good"

"What about you? You cool with everything going on?"

"I don't know. But I do know I'm a Teller and Tellers don't run"

"Didn't your dad do that with you and Abel?"  
"Not exactly. He didn't even know about me and he's stepping up with Abel"

"Riiiight"

"Whatever. Anyway, Abel's coming home today"

"That's great! That means you get to go home too, right?"

"Yeah, tonight will be my first night at Jax's place. I'm moving my stuff over after school"

"You need a hand?"

"Sure, Gemma would love to see you again"

"Ok. I'll just text mom to let her know"

"How's she doing?"

"She's alright, just trying to get through it"

"She's tough. She'll make it"

Ray nodded as the bell rang and they both went off to their respective classes.

* * *

Once the last bell rang Ray and JT walked over to Gemma's house where Gemma was packing up some of JT's stuff.

"Hey Gemma" Ray greeted

"Hey, baby. How are you?" she replied

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good. You here to help move JT back home?"

"That's the plan. I'm ready for her to be my next door neighbor again"

"Then you won't have to walk so far just to walk with me to school" JT commented

"Well come on, let's start moving boxes," Gemma told them

They each grabbed a box and went out to the van and the prospect. Half-Sac took the box from her hands

"Why don't you help Gemma and I can take the boxes," he told her

"You sure?"

"Yeah"

"Ok"

She went back inside and helped Gemma pack up a few more boxes

"You talk to my dad today?" she asked

"Not really, but I'll see him in a bit. Why?" she answered

JT shrugged "No reason really. I just haven't talked with him since I got arrested"

"You know your father. He's got himself busy with Abel and the club-"

"I know, I know but I just need to explain to him what happened and make sure he's not mad at me"

"Sweetheart, I told you before, your dad isn't mad at you for what happened"

"Well the fact that he literally hasn't said a word to me since he picked me up tells me otherwise"

"He'll talk to you. I'll make sure of it" she closed up the last box and put her arm over her granddaughter's shoulders "Let's get out of here"

After Ray and Half-Sac put the last of the boxes in the van they all drove over to Jax's house and began to unload. After the van was unpacked Ray decided to head home and Half-Sac headed back to the clubhouse. JT went to work unpacking the boxes while Gemma finished setting up for the party. When the time came for Abel to come home Gemma had JT change her outfit into something she approved of and the pair of them went to the hospital.

* * *

They arrived at St. Thomas before Jax did so Gemma called him and asked him to pick up Wendy, all while eyeing Tara with Abel. She and Gemma went into the room to grab Abel, Gemma holding him tightly and bouncing him as they walked out of the room.

"This might be your most insidious move yet," said Tara

"You have to be a lot more specific" Gemma scoffed

"Convincing Wendy that she might actually have a shot of winning back Jax and her family. That's a lot of false hope to lay on a recovering addict"

"I don't know where you're going with this, but I was trying to help Wendy. Encourage her efforts to change"

"Yes. You are the embodiment of encouragement"

"Hey" Jax called, coming around the corner with Wendy beside him. He went up to Gemma and took Abel from her "Hey little man. We're busting you out of here. Thanks, Doc"

"Yeah," said Wendy "Appreciate it"

Gemma put her arms around JT and Jax "Alright, let's get this family home"

They turned and walked out the door, Jax and Wendy getting on his bike and JT joining Gemma in the car with Abel. The ride home was quick and before she knew it, JT was walking into the house behind Jax into a room full of people cheering and happy to see Abel. She right away excused herself to get a drink, overhearing everyone talking about the baby. She was staying in the kitchen out of the way when Donna came in and spotted her

"You hiding out?" she asked the teen

"Just staying out of the way" she replied

"Don't tell me you're jealous of the new baby" Donna teased

JT laughed "No nothing like that. Just staying out of Jax's way. Pretty sure he's pissed at me"

"Why would he be mad at you?"

"I just cause a lot of trouble"

Donna laughed "Baby, your dad was never anything but trouble. He and Opie used to get into all kinds of trouble all the time"

"Really?"

"Yeah. You can never cause too much trouble for him"

"Bet I can"

"Is this about you getting arrested the other day?"

"You know?"

"Opie told me. He can't be mad at you for that. God knows how many times he got picked up by Charming PD when he was your age"

"He's not speaking to me. So that tells me he's mad about something. Gemma keeps saying that it's club stuff and Abel and that I should just give him time but...I don't know I guess I just want him to tell me what the problem is"

Donna frowned then slung her arm over JT's shoulders "Stick with me babe and you'll be ok"

"For tonight"

"For tonight. Any other time you know I'm always here for you"

"Thanks, Donna"

They walked back to the party together watching Piney balance a cup on Kenny's head while Ellie tried to scare him. They laughed and Tara caught JT's eye, JT lifting her bottle up to her in a cheers motion. Tara sat on the couch next to Jax, then kissed him on the mouth hard. Jax got up and excused himself and Tara, disappearing into the baby's bedroom. JT looked at Wendy, who looked heartbroken, then at Gemma who gave her a look.

"Hey JT how do you reckon I'm supposed to drink this?" Piney asked her

"Easy like this," she said

"No hands" Piney reminded her

She grabbed the cup with her teeth and tilted her head all the way back, the amber liquid pouring into her mouth. Everyone around her applauded as she dropped the cup into her hands.

"That is what you call skills" she joked

Tara came out of the room and slammed out the door, Jax ordering Juice to go with her.

"Hey I'm going to drop the kids off, then run to the store to come back with powder for the dishwasher. You want to come with?" Donna asked JT

"Sure" she answered

Donna went to talk to Opie and JT told Gemma where she was going before heading outside.

* * *

A few minutes later Donna came out with Opie and the kids, putting them in the car. She saw Tig leave the house and get on his bike before getting into the passenger seat of the car. Opie and Donna kissed each other goodbye and Opie went to get into his truck but was stopped by Donna

"Hey" she called, "Are you coming straight home?"

"Yeah. Why?" he replied

"I want to come back and help Gemma clean up with JT"

"Why don't you just stay. I can take the kids home and put them in bed"

"You sure?"

"Yeah"

JT and Donna both got out of the car

"Thanks, baby," Donna said with a kiss

"You're welcome"

"Hey, you got any cash? Gemma needs powder for the dishwasher"

Opie handed her a 20 and the keys for the truck and kissed her again

"Love you," she told him

"Love you back" he smiled

"You guys are so gross. I love it" JT commented, making Opie and Donna laugh

"Night babies," Donna said to the kids

"Night mommy" they chorused

She and JT got into the truck and Opie got into the car. They had to turn around first but soon they were off on the road. They drove for a bit, talking and laughing as they went. They stopped at a stop light when JT's phone went off. She went to open it but dropped it onto the floor. She reached down to pick it up when she heard shots go off and the window breaking. She screamed and sat up looking over at Donna's dead body slumped over the steering wheel. She turned to get out of the car when she locked eyes with a man in a ski mask in a black Range Rover next to them. She recognized those eyes but before she could do anything he drove away. She opened the door to the truck and fell out onto the ground, trying to get as far away from Donna's body as she could. She finally stopped next to the curb across the street, bringing her knees up toward her shoulders and putting her hands over her ears, rocking back and forth, trying to block out the sound of the horn.

* * *

When the cops finally came JT hadn't moved from her position next to the curb. Hale sat down next to her and put a blanket over her shoulders.

"JT did you see what happened?" he asked her

JT nodded

"You see who did this?"  
She nodded again

"Can you tell me?"

She shook her head. The deputy sighed and stood up at the sound of approaching motorcycles. Jax and the guys got there just as Opie came speeding up. He jumped out of the car and started screaming,

"Donna! Donna!" he cried out, rushing over to the body

JT pressed her hands over her ears tighter and tried to block out the noise.

Hale went to Jax "JT saw the whole thing. Even saw the guy that did it"

"Is she ok?" Jax asked

"She's in shock but she's fine. She's not talking Jax" Hale told him

Jax told Juice to help JT while he went to help lift Ope from Donna's body.

Juice lifted JT up and walked her over to his bike, sitting her down on it and holding her steady.

"What do we know?" Clay asked Unser

"Guy walking his dog said he saw a black SUV roll up on the truck. Shot her through the back window. JT is the only witness but she's not talking"

"Did they see the guy? Was he black?" Clay questioned

"He didn't see and she's not saying anything. Unless Donna's been living some kind of double life, I'm thinking this brutality was meant for Opie. Some scumbag made a tragic mistake"

"Yeah I guess that's a pretty fair guess"

Jax had Juice take JT home while he rode behind them. They walked into the house and Gemma immediately pulled JT into her arms

JT was frozen against Gemma, unmoving in her embrace

"I am so sorry baby," she told her

Gemma then let her go and moved to hug Jax who cried in her arms for a moment.

"How's Opie doing?" she asked her son

Jax shook his head "You should go home, mom"

"What about JT and the baby?"  
"I can take care of my kids. It's time for me to do this"

"Ok, baby"

"Hey, Jude. Let's go to bed"

She followed behind him and went into her room, not bothering to change, just crawling on top of her covers and laying on her side, letting the tears roll down her face. After checking on a sleeping Abel, Jax went into JT's room and laid down in the bed next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her close

"I'm so sorry Jude" he whispered  
She turned around so that she was facing him and sobbed into his chest while he held her and stroked her hair. He stayed there until she fell asleep, then went into his room with Wendy where he stayed for the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 10

The day after Donna was killed JT woke up and got dressed for school. Jax was in the kitchen when she went out there,

"Hey" he greeted

"Hey" she replied

"Your voice sounds like it's getting worse"

"It's probably from all the screaming last night"

"You want to tell me what happened?"  
"I want to, but I can't"

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid of what happens after I tell"

"Nothing's going to happen if you tell me what happened last night"

"You don't know that, dad"

Jax sighed "You don't have to go to school today"

"What?" she asked

"I'm not making you go to school after last night. Not if you don't want to go. You can hang out at the garage and work on the cars if you want"

"Yeah. Yeah ok, I'll do that."

"You want to come with me to see Ope?"

"I-I can't. I can't see him"

Jax nodded "I'll see you at the garage"

She nodded and went out the door and over to Ray's, knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal Destiny on the other side.

"JT! I'm so glad to see you!" she greeted happily

"Hey, Des. It's good to see you too"

"Come in, come in"

JT went inside and shut the door behind her

"How're you doing?" she asked Destiny

"I'm doing ok. But I want to know how you are. I heard about everything that happened"

JT shrugged "I'm doing what I do best. Surviving."

"You are a strong girl, but I know this takes a toll on you"

"It does after a while but what am I going to do"

"You here to walk with Ray to school?"

"No. I'm, um, I'm not going to school today"

"Oh?"

"I take it you heard about what happened last night"

Destiny nodded

"I was there. Saw the whole thing"

"Oh God, JT"

"Yeah. So Jax said it was ok if I skipped school today"

"Who's skipping school today?" asked Ray, coming down the stairs "Hey, JT"

"Hey, Ray. I am. I need you to get my work for me" JT answered

"Why are you skipping school?"  
"JT was witness to a brutal shooting last night. Her father is letting her stay home from school" Destiny told him

"Jesus Christ JT. Why does everything bad happen to you?"

"Something bad didn't happen to me. It happened to Donna and Opie Winston"

"I'm sorry. You're right. I'm sorry"

"So can you get my work for me? Bring it by the garage later?"

"Yeah. Yeah I can do that"

"Thanks. I appreciate it"

Ray nodded his head slightly at her and JT turned and left the house. She grabbed her bike and rode over to the garage where she grabbed her old work shirt and began working on the cars with G and Dog.

* * *

JT spent all day working on the cars, avoiding Gemma who she knew wanted to ask her about last night. Finally, she saw Ray coming up the lot, holding a few extra books in his arms. She went out to greet him and to take the books from his hands.

"Hey. This is for you" he told her, handing her the books in his hand

"Thanks again"

"Don't thank me yet. You have a book report due first thing Monday"

JT groaned "Great"

Suddenly Jax came up to her and pulled her attention away from Ray

"I need to see you in the chapel. Now," he said

"The chapel? Why?"

"Just come on"

He then disappeared into the clubhouse, leaving JT confused in the garage. She said goodbye to Ray and went into the clubhouse, stepping into the chapel for the very first time. Jax sat at the head of the table smoking and deep in thought

"Dad?" she called, breaking his concentration

"Shut the doors," he told her

She shut the doors and sat down in the chair to his left

"I need to know what happened last night. All of it. The truth"

"Dad, I told you I can't tell you"

"Jude, listen to me, I swear to you nothing is going to happen. Do you think I'd break a promise to you?"

"No"

"Then trust me. Tell me what happened"

JT took a deep breath "Well, I went with Donna to get powder for the dishwasher for Gemma. We were at a light and my phone went off but I dropped it, so I went to pick it up and that's when I heard the shots. I sat up and saw Donna dead on the steering wheel. I turned to get out of the car and that's when I saw the shooter. He looked me right in the eyes then drove off and... well you should know the rest"

"What did the guy look like?"

"He was wearing a shitty ski mask but I could tell he was white. With blue eyes just like Tig's"

"You saying you think Tig did this?"

"The guy was cussing pretty loud, I heard him. It was Tigs voice"

"You sure about this?"

JT nodded

"Ok. You can go, I'll see you back at home"

"You pissed at me?"

"No. I just got a lot on my plate with this club shit. You think I'm pissed at you?"

"Well yeah. Ever since I got arrested over my brother you barely say two words to me. What else am I supposed to think?"

Jax got up and kissed his daughter's head "I'm not mad at you. I get that shit is going on with your brother but ATF was just trying to jam us all up. I'm sorry you felt like I was"

"It's ok"

"Ain't this sweet" came Clay's voice "A father and daughter bonding moment"

"I should get going," JT said "I'll see you at home"

Jax nodded and JT left as quickly as possible, pushing past Clay.

* * *

From the shop, JT went straight home, working on her homework. She wanted to call her brother and tell him what had happened, but after their fight, she wasn't sure if they were on good enough terms for her to even call him. So she did her work late into the night, Wendy and Gemma coming into the house with Abel. She didn't come out to greet them but she heard them moving around the house and eventually she heard Tara come into the house to join them. She went out to see what the doctor wanted and stood in the doorway.

"Look who finally decided to join us. You hungry?" Gemma asked

"Not really. I've been doing my homework all night" JT replied

"How're you doing JT? Your voice sounds worse" said Tara

"I'm fine, it's just from all the screaming from last night," JT told her

"Still, it sounds bad"

"Since when do you even care? Huh? Since you've been trying to get in my dad's good graces?"

"I'm not trying to get in your dad's good graces. I'm asking because I care"

"Since when? You've done nothing but treat me like shit since I got to this town"

"I-I-" Tara began to stutter

"You should just get the hell out of here"

Tara grabbed her bag and left the house, Wendy and Gemma staring at JT

"I can't believe you just did that," said Wendy

"That's my girl. You tell her baby" cheered Gemma

"I'm not letting her get away with that shit" JT stated

She then plopped down on the couch and took Abel from Wendy, holding and feeding him.

* * *

Jax didn't come home that night as JT found out when she woke up for the funeral the next day. She put on her nicest black dress and left with Gemma and Wendy to attend the funeral. The funeral was large, packed full of other SOA members. JT sat in front of Clay and Tig and in between Gemma and Wendy. About halfway through the service, she saw Jax in the distance walking closer. She got up and went over to Juice, grabbing her dad's kutte from him and brought it over to Jax. She helped him put it on and he turned around and kissed her on her head.

"You ok?" she whispered

"Yeah" he replied

He then left her and approached the casket, picking up a flower and staring hard at Clay and Tig, then he kissed the flower and placed it on the casket, then walked off passed Juice. When the service was over, JT and Piney went looking for Jax, finding him sitting on top of a tombstone. Piney handed him a thick yellow envelope

"Time for a change," he said to Jax

After Piney walked away, Jax opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers that to JT, looked like some kind of book

"What is that?" she asked

"The truth" he answered, stuffing the papers back inside

"Can I read it?"

"Someday. Come on"

They walked over to another part of the cemetery, to another grave, this one reading 'John Thomas Teller'. JT had never met the original JT and Jax never talked about him, so she was amazed that he brought her here. Jax stared at the grave for a few moments before speaking

"Yeah. It is" he said

JT stood by him "I'll be here"

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. From a distance, Clay and Gemma watched the exchange with worry in their eyes. JT hugged her father close and wondered now that he knew about what Tig had done, most likely at the behest of Clay, what was to become of the club and his relationship with his stepfather. She didn't know and that made her nervous but she knew that no matter what she would do her best to protect the club, Jax, and Abel. No matter what it took.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Trigger warning for this chapter. Season 2 let's go!**

A few weeks after Donna's death it almost felt as if things had gone back to normal. JT went to the doctors with Gemma and Abel, for Abel's checkup and to check JT's throat. The doctor sprayed a numbing spray down her throat then stuck a light and camera down there before having her go get another MRI done. The doctor said her throat looked fine but they would know more when they got the MRI results back.

"How'd it go?" Tara asked when JT went to meet up with Gemma and the baby

"They did an MRI but they said everything looked fine"

"That's great"

"Well if you discount the fact that I sound like a four-pack a day smoker than yeah, it's great"

"You don't sound like a four-pack a day smoker. Your voice is just kind of rough. Some guys find that sexy"

"What do I look like worrying about if a guy thinks my voice is sexy or not?"

"Whose voice is sexy?" inquired Gemma, coming into the room with Abel

"Mine apparently" answered JT

"Really doc? You swing for teenage girls?"

"I was just trying to make her feel better"

JT laughed "Yeah, you tried and you suck"

Tara shrugged "By the way, your father wants me to ask you about your birthday"

"Your birthday? When's that coming up?" Gemma asked

"It already happened. I just didn't say anything" JT told her

"What? Why not?"

"Because it was two weeks after Donna died. Ope was gone, so's Bobby and it just didn't feel right. Besides, I never celebrated my birthday before, why start now?"

"Because you're with us now. We do celebrate birthdays around here. We're throwing you a party young lady"

JT rolled her eyes "Thanks a lot doc"

"Don't thank me, you talk to your father"

"But you had to bring it up now and not privately, so I blame you"

"What teenage girl is against having a birthday party?"

"Me. I never had them before, they're just a waste of time"

"Well you'll be wasting your time then because we're having a party and you are coming" Gemma declared

"Yes ma'am" JT groaned

They said goodbye to Tara and left the hospital, seeing the chief waiting outside

"Wayne?" Gemma questioned

"Gemma. JT" he greeted with a smile "You guys doing alright? The little guy doing ok?"

"Yeah. Got to beef him up a little. How about you?"

"Right as rain. This is just a follow up"

"Where are you at with it?"

"BCGs are keeping it contained in my bladder"

JT winced

"Guess that's good"

"Yeah"

"You waiting on Della?"

"She ain't a fan of hospitals. Hale's picking me up"

"Well we'll wait with you"

"Yeah" piped in JT

They sat down next to him and Abel began to fuss and cry. JT rocked him with her foot and he calmed down

"JT, I'm glad you guys are doing ok"

"Thanks, chief"

"I think Jax is going to be a real good daddy to you both"

"We'll see about that"

"I'll make sure of that," said Gemma

"No doubt" replied Unser

Gemma lit up a joint and handed it to Unser

"It's for my heart condition," she told him

He scoffed and took it from her "Miracle drug"

They passed it between them for a while before Hale showed up to get Unser. After he left, they decided to head back to the clubhouse.

* * *

When they got back to the clubhouse, JT followed Gemma inside but as soon as she and Clay started kissing JT decided it was time to go.

"Hey, I'm gonna head out to the garage for a while," she told them

"We need to talk about your party," Gemma told her

"What party?" asked Clay

"Your darling granddaughter neglected to tell us that it was her birthday over a week ago. So I'm going to be throwing her a party" answered Gemma

"Why didn't you say anything? We could use a celebration. Your first birthday with us"

"I never celebrated my birthday before and without Ope and Bobby it didn't feel right" JT explained

Clay frowned

"Well, we're going to fix that. We'll do the party next week. Invite everybody"

"Whatever you want Gem. I'm gonna go"

JT left to work on cars for the rest of the day, only stopping when it began to get late and people started arriving for Bobby's party.

* * *

The party had just begun, everyone had arrived and all they were doing is waiting on Bobby. JT stuck by Gemma toward the office with Abel since she didn't really know anybody and didn't want to bother any of the guys.

"So how many people am I making food for?" Gemma asked

"I don't know, the club, Destiny, little Jude, Jayme, Ray, Lucky, Sam, and Drew. If any of them come" JT answered

"Keeping it kind of small aren't you?"  
"It's not like I have a lot of friends. Besides, the club will take up a lot of space"

"I suppose that's true. These guys will come to anything involving you"

"There you go. Just please, don't go overboard"

"What is it you like to say? I don't do anything in moderation"

"Jesus Christ, I'm in for it aren't I?"

Gemma just smirked at her

JT was going to go and get a beer when she spotted a silver Mercedes roll into the lot

"Who the hell is that?" she inquired

"I don't know"

They watched as several men got out of the car and approached Clay. The man handed Clay a box and a few of the guys moved closer to him, ready to protect their president. They exchanged words and Tig moved closer, his hand on his gun. When they saw his hand on his gun the girls moved outside, closer to the altercation, but not close enough to hear what was going on. The guys turned around and one of them ran straight into JT, the contact making her skin crawl,

"Sorry, ma'am," he said before going around her

JT rubbed her arm to try and get it to stop crawling and moved forward with Gemma to the guys.

"Who the hell's that?" JT asked Clay

"A friend of Darby's. Nothing to worry about"

"I wouldn't be so sure"

"What you know them or something?"

"I know their kind. My old man used to deal with them a lot. Besides, that guy creeped me out"

"You got nothing to worry about kid. You're with us now"

"Yeah. Sure"

"Hey, what did we promise you?"  
"That no one would ever hurt me again"

"Exactly and we're gonna keep that promise"

She hugged him "Thanks Clay"

"Any time princess"

"Come on baby. Let's get your brother home" said Gemma

"You guys not staying for Bobby?" Clay questioned

"No, we're gonna take Abel home, then JT's going to come home with me tonight"

"Ok. Drive careful"

They kissed again and then Gemma and JT left for her caddy.

* * *

Back at the house, JT worked on some of her homework while Gemma tried to put Abel to sleep, Tara coming in the door not too long after.

"Hey doc," JT said, coming into the room

"Hey JT" replied Tara

JT sipped her beer while Gemma got up and put Abel in his crib, the three women looking over him with love in their eyes.

"You on the pill?" Gemma suddenly asked

JT choked on her drink

"Just wondering. You got that look" she continued

"The aching empty womb look?" asked Tara

"Something like that"

Gemma walked out of the room and JT followed her, grabbing her jean jacket

"You think I'm using Jax to get knocked up?" Tara inquired

Gemma turned "No. Jesus, I hope not"

"If you're going to trap someone make sure they got money" JT piped in

"Where are you two on this? Me and Jax?"

"I put up with you. You're good to my brother. My dad loves you so I deal with you" said JT

"What do you care what I think?" sneered Gemma

"Jax cares"

"You really want my advice?"

Tara nodded

"Total disclosure"

"What do you mean?"

"It's the only way it works between you and him. You're too smart. Too...too neurotic to live in the vague. He needs to tell you everything. No truth, no pussy. You draw the line"

"I really don't need to hear this" JT groaned

"I'm not sure I want to know," said Tara

"Then this will never last" stated Gemma

Gemma and JT moved toward the door, JT opened it but closed it again when Tara spoke

"Did John Teller tell you everything?" she asked Gemma

Gemma turned around and sighed "You love the man. You learn to love the club. If you can do that, then there's no truth you can't handle" she then stepped forward and kissed Tara, "Goodnight"

* * *

Gemma and JT were stopped at a light when a car comes rolling up behind them, blaring its horn. JT had flashbacks to that night with Donna, seeing her dead on the steering wheel, while Gemma grabbed for her gun. A pretty, young, blonde girl came running out of the van screaming for help

"Help please! Oh my God, help me please!" she screamed. She got to Gemma's window and in a panic, she told the women, "My baby swallowed something, he's choking. Please help me!"

"All right," Gemma said, putting the gun down

She and JT got out of the car and followed the girl, JT staying behind them.

"What did he swallow?" Gemma asked

"A bottle cap or something" the girl answered

They got to the car and Gemma peered inside

"What the hell?" she heard Gemma say

The girl then whipped out a blackjack and hit Gemma with it, knocking her out. She then turned to JT and chased her as JT ran away, eventually catching up and knocking her out as well.

When JT finally came around she was tied with her arms above her head to a chain-link fence across from Gemma, who was still unconscious. After a little while, Gemma began to wake up. She looked at JT and let out a breath,

"Jude," she said tearily

"It's ok, Gemma. I'm right here, it's ok" JT replied

"Where are we?"  
"I don't know" she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, "Shhh, someones coming"

They looked over and saw three men in masks walking over to them.

"What do you want?" Gemma screamed "You know who I am? Do you know what I can do to you? Take off the mask you goddamn piece of shit!" she launched her foot forward and kicked one of the men in the crotch

"Gemma don't," said JT

She kicked him again, this time in the face. One of the other men punched her in the face and went to JT ripping off her shirt and taking down her pants. Another man did the same to Gemma, the whole time she was screaming,

"No! No! Judas, No!" she screamed

JT remained silent, knowing what was coming and that there was nothing she could do to stop it

"Gemma! Gemma!" JT yelled

They each raped her, one by one before moving on to Gemma, forcing JT to watch as they turned her around and each raped her, except for the third man. When he went to take his turn he started talking

"I'm sorry ma'am. We're almost done," he said

"Plea-please" Gemma begged

"We need you two to pass on a message to your old man. Tell him to stop selling guns to niggers and wetbacks, or we find you and we do this again"

JT recognized his voice as the man who ran into her earlier that night

"Leave her alone! You hear me! Leave her alone you rat son of a bitch!" JT screamed, trying to get the attention away from Gemma

The man looked at JT then turned back to Gemma, continuing to rape her while the other to men attacked JT once again. Once the man who spoke was done with Gemma, he went back to JT and raped her again. The three men took two more turns on Gemma and JT before leaving, letting them down and tossing a blanket at them. JT let Gemma wrap herself in the blanket and pass out, while she put her clothes back on and waited for Gemma to wake up so they could find a way out of there and back home.


	12. Chapter 12

JT sat watching Gemma for the next few hours while she slept. She didn't want to wake her after what had happened, remembering how she just wanted to sleep after it happened to her for the first time. She heard someone starting to bang on the door, startling Gemma awake,

"Gem, it's ok. It's fine" JT calmed

"Gemma? Gemma?" they heard Unser call out

"Way-Wayne!" Gemma shouted

"Unser!" JT shouted after her

They heard gunshots and then the door was opened, the chief rushing inside and seeing the two women busted up on the ground.

"JT! Gemma! Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed

"Get...get us out of here" Gemma panted

They helped her stand up and kept the blanket wrapped around her. Gemma got into the front of Unser's car while JT got into the back.

"How'd you know we were in there?" Gemma asked as they drove

"I heard it over the radio, recognized the description of the car," he told them

"Let me guess. Anonymous tip?" JT questioned

"Yeah. One of you two needs to tell me something here"

"Where are you going?" Gemma asked

"St. Thomas"

"No"

"Got to get you and JT to the hospital"

"No hospital," said JT

Gemma groaned in pain

"So, uh, what am I supposed to do here, Gemma?"

"Give me your cell"

He handed her his cell and she made a call. When she finished she hung up and told Unser to go to Tara's dad's house.

"We're going to Tara?" JT asked

"Yes"

JT huffed and sat back in the seat "We can't trust her. She'll tell Jax"

"She's not going to tell Jax. I'll make sure of it"

Unser made the turn and drove the car to Tara's dad's house and they waited out there for her to show up. When she finally did show up, she took one look at Gemma and JT and let out an 'Oh my God' before rushing to open the door and get them inside. She cleaned up JT first, then went to clean up Gemma.

"Jax see you leave?" JT asked

"I told him it was the hospital. You two need to tell me what happened so that I can help you"

"Use your imagination"

"Maybe we should let them rest a while," said Unser

"We need to get them to a hospital"

"No!" exclaimed Gemma

"I can't treat you in my living room"

"We'd have to check-in. The insurance and shit. Everyone's gonna know"

"And if Jax and Clay find out this happened it will destroy them," said JT

Tara took a breath "We'll go home, get you some clothes, then...then pick up Abel. We'll sign him in, we'll say we're running more tests"

"You could get fired for that"

"I'll figure it out"

"You won't be able to lie for both of us," JT told them

"I can try"

"Don't. If you promise me right here, right now that Jax never finds out. I'll let you check me in, getting a rape kit done as a follow up from the last one"

"JT, I swear to you that I'm not going to say anything to your father"

"Then check me in however you have to. He just better not find out"

Tara got up and went to Unser "They're going to see their faces"

"I know. Just stay with 'em, all right?"

JT moved closer to Gemma and grabbed her hand in a gentle and reassuring way.

* * *

A few hours later they drove back over to Jax's house to get Abel. They pulled in the driveway and Gemma swore,

"Shit. Neeta started today"

They walked into the house, Neeta greeting them,

"Good morning" she smiled

"Morning" Gemma whispered, walking down the hall to Abel's room with JT following. She lifted the baby and they turned around to leave. Neeta got a look of she and JT's face and gasped

"My God, what happened?" she asked

"We're fine. I need to get him to St. Thomas" Gemma replied

"Why?"  
"I'll have him back before lunch"

"Thought he just had all his tests"

"He needs more"

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm Dr. Knowles. I'm his doctor" said Tara

Gemma and JT went out the door and back to the car, JT climbing in the back with Abel.

They got to the hospital fairly quickly, Neeta going along with them and Tara examined JT, performing a rape kit and stitching up a cut in her cheek.

"You're going to be ok" Tara reassured

"It ain't the first time I've been raped or beaten, doc. I can take it. I'm more worried about Gemma" JT replied

"Gemma's tough, I think she'll make it through"

"You don't know what something like this can do to somebody. It breaks them, inside and out. I don't want that to happen to her"

"Well I'm going to see her now if you want to come"

JT nodded.

Tara lead her into the exam room where Gemma was,

"What're you doing here?" Gemma asked

"Not letting you be alone" JT answered

She took Gemma's hand and held it throughout the exam, Gemma squeezing it as needed.

"There's a number of small tears," Tara said "It's nothing that won't heal on its own. We'll start you on antibiotics right away. It's standard procedure to treat for chlamydia and gonorrhea, even before the test results are back"

Gemma sat up and Tara took a look at the cut on her face, rubbing some ointment on it

"We should have a plastic surgeon look at this"

"I've been hit before"

She put a bandage on the cut as a knock came from the door. Tara opened it to Unser on the other side

"Sorry to interrupt doc. I need a word with the girls" he said

"Let him in," Gemma told her

He came in and pushed aside the curtain "Oh, sorry."

"What is it?"

"Clay is here"

"You son of a bitch"

"I told him, you two were in a car accident"

"What?"

"I ran your Caddy into a concrete barrier out by the utility shed. Take my head off if you want, I just didn't see another way to sell this. He don't know about nothing else"

"I'll go and talk to him" Tara offered

"Or I can go," said JT

"I don't want to see him yet...don't want to be alone" Gemma answered

"Actually, they're all here," said Unser

"Jesus Christ. Is there anyone you didn't tell?"  
"I'll-I'll handle it," Tara told them, leaving the room

"Maybe I should help her" Unser decided, turning to go

Gemma grabbed his arm and JT moved to stand in front of him

"This wasn't about us," JT told him

"What do you mean?" he asked

"What those animals did, was to hurt Clay and Jax" Gemma explained "Anyone finds out, they win"

"Knowing the truth would crush them. This needs to stay with us" emphasized JT

"Who's they, honey?" Unser asked

"It don't matter"

He then turned and left the room, leaving Gemma and JT alone.

* * *

Jax came rushing through the hospital, finding Tara,

"Hey, how are they?" he asked

"They're fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. JT got a few stitches in her face, but she'll be ok"

"Ok, good." he looked at her "And you?"

Tara just stared at him

"Look I'm glad you asked for the truth. It means a lot to me you want to figure out how to make this work"

"Yeah. I have to let Clay know"

"Yeah"

They walked over to where Clay and the other guys were waiting, Clay standing up and moving closer to Tara,

"What's going on? They ok?" he asked

"Yeah. Um, when she hit the barrier they both took a pretty good shot to the face. There's some swelling and JT needed some stitches. I have to run a few more tests but she's going to be fine"

"But, uh, it's nothing serious?"

"No. no"

"Can I see her?"

"It's going to be a little while"

"What about JT?" Jax asked

"She's sticking to Gemma pretty close, so when we're done I'll send her out"

"You sure she's ok?"  
"I think she's just a bit shaken. They both are"

"Well, uh, I appreciate you taking care of them doc"

"Oh, of course"

She then nodded at them then left, going back to work.

* * *

A little while later, Gemma was finishing getting dressed when Clay came into the room

"Oh, baby," he said when he took a look at her "I'm so sorry" he went to kiss her and she jumped backward "I'm sorry"

"Oh, no, It's ok, I'm just...I'm just kind of jumpy," she told him

"Now, you got to lay off them midnight joyrides"

"Yeah"

"You ok?"

"Oh, I'm fine"

He finally noticed JT "You ok kid?"

"I've had worse" she replied

"Ahh, you're a tough kid. You'll be alright"

"I know it"

"You girls ready to go home?"

"You know, they have to, uh, they gotta do some more x-rays. Neeta can give us a lift"

"I can wait"

"No honey, it's ok. Yeah, it's going to be awhile"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm-I'm I'm fine"  
"Ok"

He went to kiss her again but stopped himself, kissing her hands instead "I love you"

"I love you too"

He left and Gemma looked at JT before finishing getting dressed.

They waited about 20 minutes before going outside, meeting up with Neeta and starting to leave. They rounded the corner to the waiting room and spotted Luann dabbing at some girl's bloody nose.

"Shit," said Gemma

"What?" asked Neeta

They turned around and went back the way they came,

"Oh, that's just someone I don't want to see. She's gonna have a million questions"

"We can wait in here," Neeta said, bringing them into the chapel

They sat down Gemma holding Abel and JT in the front and Neeta in the back

"I'm not gonna do it today" Neeta began "'Cause I ain't a stupid sister, but you know at some point, I'm gonna have some questions"

"I know" Gemma answered

"While we're here you two want to say a prayer with me?"

JT chuckled "I'll pass. God and I ain't on the best of terms right now"

"I'm not big on praying," said Gemma

"Sure you are. Look at the way you're holding him. I can see it in your face, you're thanking God. You too little missy. I see the way you looking at him"

"I'm not looking at him any different than I usually do"

"No, you're looking at him like your thanking God he's here. Thanking God that you have him"

JT looked at her. She was kind of right, JT was thanking God. Thanking God that it wasn't Abel getting hurt last night and that it was her instead. She sat back and watched the cross, replaying Neeta's words.

* * *

Later on that night, JT and Gemma were back at Jax's house, JT stretched out and half-asleep on the day bed in Abel's room while Gemma was sleeping in the rocking chair. JT jumped awake when she heard footsteps enter the room. She looked over and saw that it was just Tara and relaxed. Tara went to Gemma and shook her, waking her up,

"Sorry I'm so late," she said

"What time is it?" Gemma questioned

"It's 10. How are you?"

"I'm fine"

She got up and began to walk out the door, Tara moving quickly to catch up to her

"Gemma...you need to talk to somebody about what happened. Doesn't mean your weak"

"That why I've got you two"

She left the room and JT followed since Tara's phone began to ring. They went into the kitchen and found Neeta at the table reading a bible

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I-I fell asleep. You didn't have to stay" Gemma apologized

"It's ok. I hope you both feel better" Neeta replied, grabbing her belongings

Gemma stepped forward and grabbed her arm gently

Tara came into the room, "Excuse me, Gemma"

"What?"

"I have to go to the clubhouse. Medical emergency"

"Oh, shit"

"You guys should stay here"

"No," said JT

"Go ahead, I'll watch him"

The three women rushed out of the house and over to the clubhouse. The emergency turned out to be that Bobby had gotten shot in the shoulder during a drop. Tara worked to clean up the wound,

"Some homecoming, huh?" teased JT

Bobby groaned "Is it all right?"  
"You're lucky it went straight through" answered Tara

"Oh, Jesus Christ" exclaimed Jax as he walked in

"The Mayans, they crashed our little Niner delivery, man" explained Tig

"You ok, bro?"

"I'm in good hands"

"They got away with two cases of the AK's," Half-Sac told Jax

Jax then turned and saw his mother and daughter standing there. He put his hand on Gemma's shoulder

"Oh, man"

"I'm fine," she said

He squeezed her hand and turned to JT lifting her face to get a better look at the stitched up cut on her face

"Good shot to the face, that's probably gonna scar"

"It'll make me look more badass"

Jax chuckled and brought her into a hug, kissing her head

"Jax, in here" Clay called

Jax left them to join Clay in the chapel and Gemma turned and disappeared down the hallway, JT following a distance behind, watching as she stopped in front of the original JT's bike. Tara walking up next to her and watching the matriarch as well before both women continued on. JT was concerned for Gemma, worried that the incident was going to break her. She wanted to help but she just didn't know how. She was deep in thought, staring at the bike when Chib's voice broke into her head,

"JT" he called out

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you wanted a beer"

"Oh, yeah, sure"

"You alright darling?"

"Fine Chibby. Just thinking"

"Care to share?"

He handed her a bottle and she took a long pull

"Not today, bro. Not today"

 _ **Not ever**_ , she thought.


End file.
